The Song of The Red Eagle
by KanisRussell
Summary: Mads Aleksandrovich Romanov was nothing but a soldier serving a cause of which he could not understand when the unforeseen happened. He was declared dead, but secretly admitted to a project that would send him long into the future. Now his life seems more like a sci fi movie. The story takes place over all three games. (Early chapters under going re-write)
1. preface

**A/N: Hey fellas.**

 **This is my first fan fiction ever, and I'm quite excited to tell you guys the story. This was born out of my love for Mass Effect and my desire to put a story out there of my own.**

 **English is not my first language, but it is a close second. I really hope to improve my grammar, spelling, word-use and so on. Please, feel free to send feedback on these issues.**

 **In fact, all types of reviews are welcome, and I love to read all of them.**

 **Anyhow, please enjoy the story.**

* * *

With a single push of a button on the terminal, a video file showed up. The display asked if the person standing behind the screen wanted to play it. They accepted.

"Video log #0032 inserted, please stand by…

Loading complete."

The video opens up showing what appears to be a regular leather couch. The lights are fairly dimmed and the whole scene seems to have an empty feel to it. Within a few seconds, a person appears. Not a lot of audio is present. No background noise, no one is talking. Just the sounds of the leather couch adjusting to the weight placed upon it.

The man has, what appears to be, a military combat uniform on. Complete with a bullet proof vest, ammo pouches, belt with holster and, perhaps most strange of all, leather boots that reach mid- calf on the man's legs. His face can't be seen. It's hidden beneath a mask, a white cross is painted in it.

His first action is taking off said mask, only to reveal a bandaged hand underneath it. Scars and burn marks can clearly be seen around his eyes and mouth. He coughs, and prepares to speak. He looks around first, as if checking if anyone is present. Then, he looks into the camera. His blue eyes lock with the lens.

"My name is Mads Aleksandrovich Romanov… I am making this video in the situation that I may never be able to tell my story again. I was born on the 31st of august, 1992 in St. Petersburg….. In Russia." He takes a pause. His voice is rather deep, and has a faint fatigue sound to it.

"My father was a prince….. Or he would have been, have it not been for the fact that the Romanovs were thrown out or killed in 1918….. My mother was from a Prussian-" He chuckled a bit, before saying "I guess there is no such thing as Prussia anymore. " He then returned to the serious tone. -She was from a Prussian noble family. Neither of them had any great wealth….. Or political power…." The man looked down at his hands, which almost seemed to be locked in a never-ending prayer.

"My father thought Russia would welcome the Romanovs back with open arms after the Soviet government fell apart…..-" The man looked back into the camera. "-He was wrong…. No one wanted us back….." He took another pause to breathe. "We left Russia in 1997, after years of facing hardships…. I was 5 at the time. I had a sister at that point….. Maria was her name." The man retreated into deep thought at the mention of his sister. He blinked a few times and quickly wiped his eyes before continuing.

"We moved to Denmark….. Got a sweet baby brother as well, Anders was his name." The man finally broke the prayer and dug his hand deep into his pocket, and fished out a pack of cigarettes. He placed one between his lips, gave it light, and took a deep drag of it. Once he had exhaled the smoke, he locked eyes with the camera again.

"I don't remember much about my childhood….. Only that it had its ups and downs. But, as far as I remember, I was a happy kid. I had friends…. I studied….. I endured…." He took another drag of the cigarette.

"I followed in my mother's footsteps and went to business school….. Got an education I never really got to use that much…..." He once again gave a quick chuckle, as if telling a joke only he would ever understand.

"My life changed one day…. When I got a letter. This was back in… 2010? The year is a blur." He clarified. "It told me, that I had to get my ass back to Russia….. I was going in the army….. I was terrified." He laughed.

"Spend some time in boot camp, re learning whatever Russian I hadn't learned from my father…. And got assigned to the Presidential Cavalry Escort Battalion, 12th company…." He remarked as he took another drag of his cigarette. "Ura!" he added sarcastically. He leaned back in the couch as he exhaled the smoke. "Even got the chance to march as the very front of the sacred war march during the 70th annual victory parade in Moscow. Life was good at that point. Meet myself a cute girl named Nika….. I had good friends….. Lived a good life in the military." He looked nostalgic as he retold his life in those times.

"One day…. I get a promotion. They wanted to transfer me to the Alpha team under Spetsnaz. I was a man in my early 20'ties, who doesn't want that kind of excitement in that point of their life? Life was still good… Until they started volunteering me for missions…." He explained.

"Syria was a long way from Russia, but it was locked in civil war. Our governments wanted to help each other, and that meant people like me got a chance to experience war up close. Boots on the ground….. It strained my relationship with most I knew. I fought, I endured… I was a successful officer, even earned a few medals here and there. I should have counted myself lucky that my heart kept beating, and death hadn't knocked on my door yet." His voice turned more grim.

"That was until one day….. It did." His eyes bore directly into whoever was watching on the other side.

" Video file corrupt…. Attempting reconstruction…

Reconstruction failed… Awaiting user input…"


	2. Chapter 1: Last day of the old life

**Chapter 1: Last Day Of The Old Life.**

 **15/3 2017.**

 **Syria, bordering the rogue ISIS state.**

* * *

Shaving was a mandatory thing in the military. That was what Mads was currently doing. He used the mirror in the sun shield of the military armored truck. They were halted at a small village. It was already late in the evening. The small village had been cleared a few days back by the Russian volunteers and Syrian government forces. There had only be small resistance.

The weather was calm, and actually pretty chilly. Mads took extra care not to cut himself as he used the mirror for guidance. His razor broke a few towns back, and he had to resort to using his military knife for the task. He moved carefully, hoping to god he wouldn't cut himself.

A loud knock on the door destroyed that chance. It was only a small cut, but still very visible with it's red and angry skin, and the small layer of blood running down his cheek. Still, for a senior lieutenant, it was not the kind of weakness you should show. Mads let out a sigh as he opened the door.

"Victor, I ought to beat your sorry ass." Mads remarked.

"Sorry chief, but you know I had to do it. You got a cigarette for a poor man?" Victor asked. He had been Mads' best friend for quite some time now. He was a few ranks under Mads, but still a very capable leader.

"Fucking freeloader." Mads remarked as he dug into his pocket and found his pack. He handed it to Victor, who fished one out quickly. Then Victor gestured with his hands for a lighter.

"You want fucking light too?" Mads asked. Victor nodded as the cigarette was between his lips. Mads shook his head and pulled out his zippo lighter and gave fire to the cigarette. "Want me to suck your dick while I am at it?" Mads asked sarcastically.

Victor took a long drag before answering. "I wouldn't mind." They both laughed.

"You're fucked up." Mads said as the laughter died down.

"We all are." Victor replied as he took another drag. "But the way, you still have some cum on your face." Victor added.

"WHAT?" Mads quickly looked into the mirror and realized he was referring to the shaving cream. "Fuck you." Mads tried to say in a serious tone, but it came out more like a chuckle.

"Got ya'" Victor grinned.

"Mama bear to eagle scout. Over." The radio interrupted their conversation. Mads quickly reached for the receiver. "Go give the fuckers something to eat." Mads ordered. Victor quickly went back to the end of the truck to receive the MREs stored there.

"This is eagle scout. What's the situation? Over." Mads replied into the mic.

"New orders from HQ. Do not, I repeat, do not head north-east tomorrow. Focus south east. Over." Mama bear explained.

"How come? Over." Mads asked confused.

"Can't tell. This is based on new information. You have to move out at 0300 hours. Understood? Over."

"Copy that."

"Over and out."

"Over and out." Mads said and put the mic back on the radio. Mads picked up his blade and continued shaving the remaining bit. When he was done, he inspected the result and concluded that it was acceptable. Mads washed his face with the water, and thanked God he wasn't in the navy where they used cold water for this. He stepped out of the car to see the platoon sized squad all eating their cardboard meals.

"Hey Romanov! Catch!" Victor yelled as Mads catched it just in time. The MRE was some sort of beef sandwich that looked less than appetizing. Still, there was no chance that they would get anything else from the military. And there was no way Mads would be eating what was local.

He smiled as he saw his men still having a good time, as if there wasn't a brutal war going on. Mads was just looking forward to getting home. This was his only real chance to feel human. The men were joking around, as they always did. The new order still was a bit weird with Mads. He told the men of the change in plan, and they were most displeased with the new time they had to move out, but they accepted it.

Hours passed as the sun was replaced with the glowing moon. Mads was sitting up at a nearby hill. He was looking over the vast desert before him. It seemed never-ending in it's nature from there. Mads heard the sound of sand shifting as someone approached. Mads knew who it was.

"What's up hussar? Still can't lose the boots?" Victor joked as came and sat down beside Mads. Mads chuckled. Victor was referring to jackboots. It was true, it was quite hot to have them on, but it was tradition in not his family, but the army as well. He liked them.

"My horse riding days are over, but I'll be worm food before I lose them." Mads replied with a smile.

"Whatever you say cowboy. I see the brass finally approved the magnum as well." Victor continued.

"I have never fought harder in my life, than when I tried to convince the top guys that a 44. Magnum was a good service weapon." Mads replied in laughter. Victor joined in.

"You thinking about Nika?" Victor asked in a more serious concerned voice as the laughter died down.

"Partly." Mads answered as he let some sand flow out of hand.

"I doubt anyone is gonna fuck her while you are gone. Remember that biker dude who tried to hit on her-"

"That's not what I'm concerned about." Mads interrupted.

"Then what is it?" Victor asked again.

"She hates me for leaving for these tours… And I understand her completely. This shit is absurd. This doesn't concern us. Not to mention Boris-" Mads replied.

"Boris died a hero's death. I can't think of someone more suitable for a medal than him. But it wasn't your fault." Victor said." but I guess it's true that we have no reason to be here. But, we're soldiers, we do as we are told." Victor said.

"Yeah, but still, what will happen when we leave? Will all this shit just crumble?" Mads kept on.

"Don't know. That's for the politicians to decide." Victor remarked.

"There is only a month left for this tour. I was thinking about taking Nika somewhere nice. Maybe even south Africa or Chile. Take a long vacation." Mads explained.

"Sounds cool. But, you'll come back right?" Victor asked, a small hint of nervousness in his voice was present.

"I'm in too deep with the military to simply hang up my hat. I doubt I'll leave. That, and these finger tattoos makes it impossible to get a job anywhere else, unless it is some illegal shit." Mads reassured him.

"Good. There no one I'd rather crack some skulls with." Victor joked.

"Heh, we'll do plenty of that." Mads replied with a smile.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky. It was slightly cloudy. Mads kept in touch with Mama bear, and had another man on the map looking for a supposed hot spot. ISIS realized that they were losing, and had began to resort to more desperate measures. Like terror aboard, and burning the lands the left behind, taking everything that isn't nailed down and burning the rest.

Mads had seen just about everything during his time fighting the terror organization. People tortured, people murdered, people kidnapped and horrible genocide. He could feel his sanity was walking on a thin fucking line. Someone else appear on the radio.

"Sunny to eagle scout, do you copy? Over." It was the reconnaissance unit sent out. It was a few miles in front of them.

"This is eagle scout. What's the status? Over." Mads replied as he eagerly awaited a response.

"We located a small town 15 clicks to the east. Night vision reveals it's a military base. What are your orders? Over." They asked back.

"Give us the coordinates and await further instructions. Keep a close eye on the base and attempt intelligence gathering. Eagle scout over and out." Mads ordered.

"Copy that. Over and out." Was the simple answer. The coordinates showed up on screen and Mads quickly had the driver change course to it. He radioed the other trucks to tell them the new information. Mads quickly checked his AK-12 for any last minute faults.

It took a while for them to get near the town. "Kill the lights." Mads ordered. They rolled up and were about 1-2 miles away from the camp. They would walk the rest on foot. They had to meet up with the reconnaissance unit.

Mads looked at his watch. It was 5:10 am. It wouldn't be long before the sun would rise. Most of them were probably asleep. There were a few guards patrolling. Mads drew up a quick battle plan in his head as he thought over the information given to him. They had cleared at least a dozen towns this size before. There was almost no chance this would be different.

"Emil, take delta squad and move a click around." Mads ordered. Emil was a sergeant, and very much capable as well. "Watch out for civilians. You'll move in on my command, once you have reached the perimeter, we'll move into position as well. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" Emil replied before gathering up delta squad and moving around. Mads checked his magazine and was pleased to find it full. Hopefully, this would be quick and painless. There was no telling if there were civilians in there, and who knows if there might be hostages.

Mads sends another dozen men the other way around and puts someone on lookout. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. That was until small arms fire could be heard. It came from the eastern part of the small town, and Mads was worried. He quickly called up Emil on the radio.

"What's the situation? Over" Mads eagerly awaited the response.

"We're taking heavy fire!" The radio replied.

"Retreat back to the rocks. We'll give covering fire." Mads ordered. "Get into positions and await my signal for suppressing fire!" Mads shouted to his men. They quickly did as told.

As delta squad made their break for the rocks. Mads ordered them to fire upon the place the shots came from. He radioed in and ordered the other teams to slowly move in and attempt either a break through, or a diversion. Mads and his team could then slowly move in further, using their armored truck as cover as they moved along.

Mads changed his mag, pulling out a new one from the ammo pouch in his vest. "Cover me, I'm going in." Mads ordered. They were no further than 20-25 meters from the town's edge. He could make a run for it if they covered him. He would use the buildings as cover, and move further into the heart of the town.

"I'm coming with you." Victor said. Mads was about to dismiss it, but a bullet grazed the truck, and Mads realized he could use someone looking over him.

"Alright, let's move. Lay down cover fire in, 3, 2, 1. GO!" Mads ordered, tugging Victor with him. His men did as told and took most of the attention away from them. Mads bursted into the nearest door. Victor was right behind him. Two men looked up and raised their rifle at them.

Mads took down one of them, Victor got the second. "Clear!" Mads yelled as he moved through to the other side of the house. Focus was off from Emil's team, and as they had regrouped, they began to try to attack the town from the other end. All teams were now beginning to move in. Mads and Victor continued their house-to-house clearing. They took it nice and slow, careful not to rush it.

They had to move carefully. It took several hours to clear half the town, and most houses were empty. But, the enemy were known for using meat shields every now and then, and hostages could be present. As the day dragged on, they came closer and closer to finishing the job.

At the end, one house stood unchecked. Mads and Victor agreed to let the other men rest a bit. They would take care of the house. It would turn out to be the last thing Mads ever did. The door was kicked open, and they stormed in. At first, it seemed quiet.

"you check the living room. I'll check the bedroom." Mads ordered. Victor quickly nodded. They went their separate ways, as Mads checked every corner of the room. "Bedroom is clear!" Mads yelled.

"Oh shit!" Victor yelled back, a gun shot was heard. Mads quickly rushed into the living room to see what was going on. There, Victor was. On the floor, bleeding from a shoulder wound.

Mads quickly raised his rifle at the person who shot him. Mads' brain analyzed the situation at lightning speeds. It wasn't as much a man, as it was a kid. No more than 17 years old. There was fear installed in the kid's eyes.

Still, the kid acted in fear as well. He raised his rifle, and Mads pointed it at him as well. "PUT IT DOWN!" Mads didn't have the time to translate it into Arabic, nor was he any good in Arabic. But, he saw the kid pulling the trigger ever so slightly. Mads decided he wouldn't take the chance. Victor's life was in his hand.

They must have pulled the trigger simultaneously, because Mads heard a shot that definitely didn't come from his own rifle. The kid had been wielding an old soviet rifle, most likely an SKS. But, Mads fired a shot of his own. It all happened so fast. The world turned black, but Mads could still feel the cheap carpet underneath him, and his nose still picked up the foul smell in the house.

"MADS! FUCK!" He could hear Victor panicking. He could feel Victor tried to search for a pulse on Mads, he could feel Victor trying to shake Mads back into consciousness, but it wasn't happening. The sounds, the smell, it all began to fade away as Mads felt himself slipping.

He could still hear a few things. Like people rushing to the house, and a few medic telling him everything was going to be okay. Time became a blur after that, he feels close to nothing, he only hears voices talking over him.

"You can't do that, you don't have-…..."

"This is straight from the Kremlin! Of course I-…."

"-ut, this is untested. There is no way this is-….!"

"JUST FUCKING DO IT" There is silence for a while. Someone is right by him, but Mads' brain is unable to comprehend anything at this point.

It's not much more than a whisper into his ear, but it is still as clear as day. "I'm sorry, I truly am." Everything gets totally dark after that.


	3. Chapter 2: A brave new world

Brightness blinding the eye. The wind, cold against the skin, water flowing, birds singing. A hot summer's day. These were the first things Mads observed as he could see again. He was confused as to his location, but it was peaceful. As his mind began to pick up the pace, he regained his wits more and more.

He was waist deep in the water. It was a nice temperature, not too hot, and not too cold. It was a river of some kind, though it wasn't all that big. The sun was high in the sky, Mads breathed in the air, and found it almost sickeningly sweet in its nature. A group of people were gathered a few yards in front of him. Standing in the shallow water.

Still confused, Mads made his way towards them. The water made movement slow. Mads realized what it was when he got closer. The people stood in a circle around a single man, a man dressed in all black with a grand beard. It was a baptism, but for whom?

As he was almost about to enter the circle, he felt a sharp pain in the right side of his skull. When he brought his hand to where the pain was, it was covered in blood once he inspected it again. He was worried, but only for a second. A low and comforting voice called out to him.

"My child! Have you come to be born again?" The man in black asked. It was safe to assume he was a priest of some kind. Mads stood in silence as everyone's eyes turned to him. They all had smiles planted on their faces.

"Born again?" Mads asked, more confused than before. Was it for him?

"Why yes! To wash away your sins and start a new life! Completely free of charge!" The man joked, and everyone standing in the circle laughed. "Don't you want to join the Lord in heaven? Don't you want to carry out his mission? Don't you wish for fulfillment?" The questions became a blur to Mads as the priest continued to list all the different reasons to go through with it.

"Where am I?" Mads asked, a bit concerned. It was all coming back to him. Every memory, every single thought. Everyone laughed at his question, including the priest.

"You are exactly where you need to be." The Priest's voice had turned sinister with that statement, like there was no question about it.

"Look pal, I need to get back." Mads tried to reason.

The Priest shook his head. "There is no going back, not to that pit. No, there are bigger things waiting for you, my son." The Priest explained. "Go through with this, and you shall be given new purpose. It's the only way."

Mads stood there, dumbfounded as he processed the words spoken to him. This couldn't be real. It had to be some sort of dream. He was still in his military outfit, and the blood seemed real enough. Mads simply couldn't decode what the preacher was saying.

"So, you mean to say that-" Mads began, but he was cut off.

"Yes. This is the only way." The Priest replied.

Mads was utterly convinced this was a dream. There was no way in hell this was real in any shape or form. No, he was probably laying on an operating table right now, and this was his mind's way of justifying it.

Still, Mads approached the Priest. Mads then gave a quick nod. "Well chosen my child. You will not regret it." The Priest smiled as he firmly grabbed Mads' hand.

"Do you hate your sins, my child?" The Priest had locked eyes with Mads, and it became a little worrying for Mads.

"I do." Was the simple response. Mads spoke it as if without thought.

"Do you want to be washed clean? Do you want to live again?" The Priest asked, he laid a hand on Mads' back.

"I do."

"Do you wish to fulfill the Lord's mission? Do you wish to be his follower?"

"I do."

"In the name of the Lord, and of our Father, you shall be washed clean!" The Priest shouted. People cheered as Mads was lowered into the water. This time, the water was freezing cold. Mads took it lying down, he had chosen this path…. Had he not?

He could still hear the faint cheering from under the water. He could still feel the Priest's hand pressing him down into the water. Mads was brought up, and took in the precious air. He was only up for a few seconds before he was forced down again. The force used was stronger this time, Mads could feel it.

Though, Mads was not brought up. In time, his natural instincts began to kick in. He was drowning, and he limps began to wildly try and get him free. But the Priest's grip was firm, and unyielding. As things once again began to fade away, he heard voices. Not the cheering, or the Priest's voice, no…. This was a different voice.

"Is this the one?" He could only faintly make it out. It was hard to think.

"Indeed. Project Vossozdany. Test subject Alpha-1-5." Another voice said.

"Good, load it up. Bring it with us-….- He is no good to us with a halo and a set of wings-….." The time between each spoken sentence was becoming more and more of a blur.

"What does the records say?-…. -Described as one of the best officers in Russian service, 28 confirmed kills…. - Born 31st of August – Roughly 24 years old -"

It was clear they were talking about him, but who were _they_? Mads couldn't think straight, his head was still hurting. "Are you sure this isn't unethical? -… Minor issue. Think of the potential! I'd say not to waste the gift the Russians gave us…..."

Mads wasn't sure what was real or not anymore. It all felt like a dying man's dream. There were several people speaking over him all the time, and he couldn't place a single one of the voices.

"Funding is approved by the general staff. When do you think he'll be ready?"

"Few months, maybe half a year."

"Good. Nice work Colonel, I do believe a bonus is in order."

"Thank you, sir. I'll have my team continue."

* * *

When Mads' eyes finally shot open, he realized a few things. First off, he was still in water. But this wasn't freshwater…. Hell, it probably wasn't even saltwater. Second, the reason he hadn't drowned yet, is because he was wearing some sort of tube. He also realized he was confined to a small place. There was a glass window to the outside.

Mads tried his best to knock on it, but water slowed his movement down a lot. While his breathing was secured, he wanted nothing else than get out of this confined prison. As Mads realized that punching the glass wouldn't help, he re positioned himself, as he could put pressure on the window with his legs. After some time giving it all he had, the glass finally couldn't take anymore.

He came out with the water. Mads' breathing was ragged as he removed the tube from his mouth and began to calm himself down. He took a minute or two just taking it easy. That was until he realized he was lying upon the broken glass, which had begun to sting in his back. Mads coughed out the last water as he stood up. His legs felt wonky as he had trouble walking. He had to support himself by the wall, and he had to catch his breath all the time.

This place looked straight out of a science fiction comic book. Large tubes to hold things inside. The other appeared to be empty, and Mads found himself becoming more and more concerned. "Nurse!" He called out several times, but his voice was hoarse, and felt like it hadn't been used in ages.

He was only in his underwear as he walked down the long hallway. It felt so empty in there. The rational part of brain signed this off as probably just him waking up in the middle of the night. Still, there should be a doctor…. Or at least a nurse on duty….. Shouldn't there? He had to admit, he hadn't been to all that many hospitals. He seemed to be largely intact, he could feel the scar on the right side of his skull, it was a large on as well. But other than that, he felt fine and couldn't spot anything. He did feel out of shape, like he had been idle for a long time. His tattoos seemed to be in order, though a few of them did look a bit faded.

 _Great, now I need to spend more money getting my ink renewed…. Great fucking day._ He bitterly thought.

As he continued along the hallway, he continued to search for any lifeforms. He did spot something more sinister though, it looked like machines, or robots, working on maintaining the hallways. Mads stayed clear of them. They did not even look up at him as he passed by them.

He didn't want to overthink he situation right now, last thing he needed was him worrying. Now, he would find someone and everything would be fine. He finally spotted a sign that read "Security office" with an arrow that pointed in to a room. The sign was in English, which told him he probably wasn't in Syria…. Or Russia.

Inside the office, a man in his early 30'ties sat at the desk. He seemed lost in, what Mads could presume to be, a computer of some sort. It looked weird, like the display was a projected. Mads looked up at the clock on the wall and saw that it was around 3:45 am in the morning. This confirmed his original theory.

"Excuse me sir, do you mind telling me where I am?" Mads had asked this in Russian. The man jumped up from the chair quickly turned around. The man had, what Mads assumed to be, fear in his eyes.

"Holy shit." The man finally said after staying silent for a while.

"Let me guess….. I'm not in Russia…." Mads theorized.

"C-c-correct."

"Mind telling me where I am then?" Mads asked again.

"L-London, sir"

"London? What do the British want from me?" Mads asked, but then quickly realized the man probably didn't know. "Alright, what date is it?" Mads then asked impatiently.

"12th of March, sir."

"12th of March? But it was just the 17th… What year is it?" Mads became concerned at the revelation.

"2174."

Mads stood there speechless for a moment, before quickly rationalized that he had simply heard the man wrong. "Come again?"

"… 2174."

Nope, it was the same answer. Mads stood there for moment, just thinking about it. Then Mads began to chuckle. "Ahhh, you almost had me" Mads said as he pointed a finger at him. "Alright, where is the camera?" Mads asked.

"What do you mean?" The man asked in a nervous tone. Mads had begun to search through the nearby plant, trying to locate the camera.

"Where did you hide the secret camera? What is it? Some sort of reality show?" Mads asked as he kept looking through out the small security station. The man took this time to hit a button on the desk. Mads kept searching.

"Okay, I give up. Where is it?" Mads asked.

"There is no secret camera. The year is 2174. What is the problem?" The man asked. His fear of Mads seemed gone in that moment. Mads wouldn't blame the fella for not feeling comfortable within reaching range. Mads was about 6'5 feet tall, his arms, hands and back had long since been inked. And even though some of his more refined features was gone, he was still physically imposing.

"You're fucking with me, aren't you. Well, it ain't funny anymore, cut the shit." Mads ordered. His voice had went from friendly to more sinister. This was not a game he was willing to play anymore.

"Look, I have contacted the medical staff, they will be here soon. They will explain everything." The man explained. Mads' eyes narrowed in on the name tag on the uniform. It read Jason. Mads sighed as he inspected the uniform. He had never seen anything like it. It seemed like a crossover between most of the NATO countries' uniforms. It was weird, and it had a navy color.

"Jason. Be 100 % real with me right now. Swear on your life you ain't fucking with me." Mads demanded.

"I swear." He swiftly replied. Mads endlessly searched his face for any trace of a lie. Either this man was the greatest actor to ever live….. Or the nonsense he was speaking was actually true. Mads prayed to God it was the former.

"Mr. Romanov! Please stay calm!" A voice called out behind him. Mads turned around to face whatever was speaking. It was a few different people. A few them had lab coats, some had security uniforms and whatnot.

"What the fuck is this?" Mads asked, before he was detained by the security officers. The out his hands in cuffs.

"Stay calm and we shall explain everything." One of the men in a lab coat reassured.

"You have a lot to explain!" Mads grunted as they tighten the handcuffs and pressed him forward.

* * *

He had been ordered to shower and he had been given clean clothes. There had been no explanation offered yet, only small hints here and there. However, the technology he saw only caused him to believe in the theory more and more that this was actually 2174.

Though it couldn't be, he had to be dreaming or something. He was probably in a coma. He would wake up at any moment, it was only a matter of time….. Right? God, it hurt to think. Mads tried all the tricks in the book to try and determine if this was a dream or not. But….. None of them checked out.

The ordered him to sit in a chair inside a office. Mads had read the tag on the door. A certain Admiral Hackett. With the amount of decorations, he must have been a quite important admiral. He sat there for what felt like hours on end. Waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone to come and tell him he was fine, tell him he was wrong. That everything was in order. But deep down, he knew that wasn't going to happen.

At some point, the door did open. Two men stepped in. Mads looked over his shoulder to address them. One was busy taking off his coat, while the other was putting a box on the table. Mads took notice of them. One was an older white man, and the other was a slightly younger black man.

"It's too early in the morning to be dealing with this crap." The white man remarked. He took a small package from his coat and handed it to Mads. "File said you were a smoker. 'Prince' cigarettes, right?"

Mads accepted the package. "Yeah…. Thanks." Mads replied as he eagerly opened the package. His nicotine withdraw was already killing him.

"Don't worry about the fire alarm. It hasn't worked in here in ages, and it even if it did, it can determine what kind of smoke it is. Here, use this can as your ashtray." The white man threw him a can of beer. They were probably trying to either calm him down, or warm up to him.

"My name is Admiral Hackett. This here is Captain Anderson. I understood your confusion, and we'll get it sorted in no time. I'm going to read from your file, and you tell me if anything is false….. Understood?" Mads nodded at his request and quickly opened the beer can. After the first sip, Mads knew it was a low quality beer. Might as well drink piss if this was what quality was.

Hackett had begun to read out details from the file. Most of it was basic. Date of birth, hometown, nationality, service record and so on. Mads sat there, silent as Hackett kept on reading each detail with his low voice. As Mads downed the last of the beer, he quickly used the one timer lighter that came with the package to light himself a cigarette.

"I don't know how to tell you this… But you got fucked son. The file states that after declaring you K.I.A, you were _volunteered_ to this project. You have been on ice for 157 years….. I'm sorry." Hackett finished off.

The information hit Mads like a fucking train. He sat there, speechless at the confirmation. His entire life…. Gone, like that. It's true what they say, you can lose all in a matter of seconds. Mads kept puffing his cigarette as he tried to fight back the tears that threaten to spill over. One thing was on mind.

 _The strong don't cry_

The man named Anderson gave the box to Mads. "This is what we were able to find from the achieves that belonged to you. I know it ain't much…. But it got to be something." Anderson explained.

Mads slowly opened the box. Inside, a few reminders of his old life resided. His jackboots, his belt and holster, complete with the 44. Magnum. His zippo lighter was there as well. He had it custom made, with his unit's name. Well this forced his tears to come out, it was still an identity to cling to.

"A lot has happened since you checked out. Let me give you a brief run down:….." Hackett embarked on a long history lesson where he explained most recent events as well as big events within the last 150 years.

Mads was actually surprised they nuked each other yet. With how things seemed to be boiling over, it was only a matter of time. However, humans had apparently united more than ever before. They had taken to space, and settled the age old question….. Do aliens exist? Apparently they do, but not like how he had envisioned them.

Even had a small war with one of the races. The human race had really evolved since his time. So many new things to use. FTW travel, omni-tools, wider communications. The list went on, and Mads stopped listing half way through.

And the whole ordeal about the Alliance seemed awfully weird. Humans had always gone to war with each other. Mads had accepted it as human nature. Now, they had banded together to fight what could be a common enemy. Interesting, to say the least.

The part that really got him though, was the fate of his own family. While Hackett listed the cause of death for his parents, his sister and brother. Mads couldn't help but let the tears flow. He couldn't help but feel like a failure. Everyone was gone, but in their place was the children and grandchildren they left behind, even great grand children. Though, they had never met him.

"We have an offer for you, Mr. Romanov." Hackett started, and Mads wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up at him. "Here at the alliance, we value skills like yours. Tactical know-how and the power to motive troops is in mighty short supply, especially a combination. You have good experience, and that's why I'll give you this offer."

"We will employ you in the Alliance. You will undergo training by Anderson, and if you do well, you'll be lifted to the N7 program. Once you are done, we'll grant you the rank of lieutenant and a position within the Alliance. Or….. You could say goodbye to all of this and go live your life somewhere else. It's your choice." Hackett offered. It was clear to Mads that they wanted him. Otherwise, they wouldn't have spend all this money on him. He had never seen himself as a good leader, but other people kept thinking so. Taking a deep breath, Mads knew what the right thing to do was. He would make his sacrifice and give in for the greater good. He gave his answer.

"I'll accept."


	4. Chapter 3: The standoff at Elysium

" _At some point, I realized something. There had always only been one thing I was ever good at… Killing was like a natural instinct. No thought or shame behind it. Men like me… We'll only be a burden in due time…."_

* * *

Time passed, things changed. In this age of technology and knowledge, the galaxy never sat still. Mads followed through on his promise. He would be damned if he didn't. Though Mads was never one to really give himself credit, the alliance sure had. They had complimented his talents, and had quickly assigned his ass to a marine platoon aboard a frigate. Mads had learned a lot, when he wasn't training, he was catching up. There was a lot to uncover. So much had happened over the last 150 years. Anderson had been a life saver for him. The man had not only been a good teacher, but a good friend as well. A good father figure, considering his original father had long since been lost to the earth. His time in the N7 program had given him a lot, and he had given back. Broken a lot of records in the meantime.

He had visited the graves of his loved ones, and he hadn't stopped crying for hours. But, he tried to make his peace as best he could. He knew no amount of therapy would ever fix him, that's why he had begun to indulge himself with some less than ethical things. It had mostly been drinking, and when he felt lonely, he took a women he met at a bar to his bed, only to kick her out the next day.

Not only that, but he had been paying visits to the current living relatives of the Romanov family. Most of them had trouble believing him, and he could certainly understand that. Still, they saw it was him after a while, especially with the Alliance backing him up.

He had even formed bonds with some of them. Harold and Joseph Romanov had been two of them. Father and son, respectably great-great grandson and great-great-great grandson of his brother. Even speaking with them could be surreal at times. But, they helped each other the best they could.

He kept his own past a secret; it was the best way to move forward. The alliance seemed to agree, and encouraged him to do so. This prompted him to cover his tattoos as well, even going so far as to wear gloves at all times.

Anyhow, that's beside the point. Thing is, shit went down on Elysium. Shit that would set things in motion for years to come, for better or worse.

* * *

 **11/8 2176**

 **Elysium.**

It was currently mid-day. The sun was high in the sky. The colony had summer the same time earth had it, which was wonderful, if not for the unwanted heat that reminded him too much of Syria. They had landed on the colony mere minutes ago, and now while they stood in formation, they awaited the other shuttles to arrive. The SSV Hong Kong was the frigate that was supplying the war materials.

Tensions had been rising for a while. Pirates and slavers had been making threats and promising of expansion. This had terrified the local population of the colonies near the terminus system, including Elysium. The alliance wanted stability, and had decided to send a platoon of marines to protect the place, only it was more to calm them all down.

Mads' N7 armor shined in the sun as he inspected his troops. They all stood firm, perhaps even unyielding. While the sun was doing a number on their skin, the mayor of the biggest settlement, and the de-facto spokesperson for the colony came to them.

"Good afternoon. I take it you are lieutenant Romanov?" The mayor was a lady, no more than 5'6 feet tall and probably in her early 40'ties.

"Correct, and I'm correct in assuming you are the mayor?" Mads asked back. She smiled before nodding.

"Yes, I'm Natalie Philips. I guess you could call me the mayor if you feel like it. I wanted to express gratitude for you being here. It means a lot to the population." She replied.

"No worries. I'd reckon nothing will come-" That was a lie, Mads did expect something to come "-But rest assured, we will protect this colony, whatever the cost may be. In fact, I would like to scout the frontier a little bit, set up defensive measures."

"You are more than welcome. It would make us all feel more secure. On a different note, we have converted the school into makeshift barracks for your soldiers. I have alerted the Volunteers as well." She said. Volunteers, fucking weekend soldiers.

"Excellent, thank you. We'll receive the last supplies before beginning scouting. See you around, Mrs. Philips." Mads said, the mayor greeted farewell as well and swiftly went away. Mads looked over the row of about 50 marines sent there.

"Wipe that fucking smile of your face, sergeant Shepard." Mads ordered.

"Yes sir." Was heard, but she was still grinning like an idiot. Jane Shepard was a promising soldier, showing leadership capabilities and was brave enough. Mads would be the one to recommend her, if he deemed her good enough for promotion.

Mads and Jane looked over the land. They had spent the entire evening looking over maps and checking which place was the most suitable for a landing. They looked at weather charts, and tried to see if they could predict when a possible invasion could be happening.

"How is your brother doing?" Mads asked as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"Good, I got news he was getting transferred to the SSV Warsaw." She replied as she looked over the horizon with her binoculars.

"What was his name again?" Mads asked as he crossed out a mark on the map.

"John." She swiftly replied. Mads chuckled a bit, she looked over at him a bit confused.

"Damn, your parents must be the least creative people in the universe." Mads joked.

"Fuck you. At least they gave me a name people could pronounce." She fired back.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that is insulting a superior officer." Mads remarked.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do?" Jane asked.

"I have a few ideas." Mads replied with a wink. She simply shook it off.

"I think this spot is the best for a possible landing." She said as she handed the binoculars to Mads. She pointed to the spot.

He hummed in agreement. "Alright, let's put the boys to work." Mads ordered.

* * *

 **18/8 2176**

 **7:47 PM**

 **Outskirts of the major settlement.**

They were still busying preparing. It had been a couple of days, and the soldiers were all getting restless. Mads had inspected the volunteer corps as well, and had found them lacking in most areas. Hardly fit for battle, and would probably run as soon as trouble showed it's ugly teeth. Mads was still looking over possible maps with a cigarette between his lips. He puffed some smoke out as he heard someone approaching with fast movements.

"lieutenant Romanov SIR!" They yelled, it was one of his marines. The marine took a moment to catch his breath.

"What's up Corporal?" Mads turned around and asked.

"Scans show several unidentified vessels have entered the system. What are your orders?" The marine asked.

"Fuck….. They came sooner than I expected. Alert the fifth fleet." Mads quickly ordered. Mads then quickly ran to where the marines were hold up. Most of them were relaxing, and a few had already gone to the city to hit the bar.

"We got hostiles! Everyone, get into position and await further instructions!" Mads yelled after them. They were slow to realize what he just said, but were quickly in their holes once their minds picked up the pace.

The next hour was pure chaos. Mads tried his best to keep an overview of the situation. Getting the volunteers into position and ready was a hard task on it's own, but he also had to advise where the guns should best be deployed.

* * *

 **19/8 2176**

 **1:23 AM**

 **Trench line.**

Night dominated the scene now. Jane was keeping an eye on the vessel that landed only a few hours ago. It was clear that they were pirates, and they were here to raid and take some slaves with them. Mads was making the last round, trying his best to make sure everyone was as ready as they could be.

"Sir, I think they may be getting ready." Jane said, her voice was rather calm, but Mads reminded himself that she had never truly seen the face of war yet. Actually, he was the only one out of all of them to have taken another being's life.

"Damn, give me the binoculars." Mads quickly ordered, and Jane did as instructed. He zoomed in, until he saw, that the pirates were getting into armored vehicles. "Go to the east flank and support them there." Mads requested. Jane gave a quick "Yes sir" and saluted.

"Holloway, man the mounted gun." Mads barked to the corporal. Who also gave an affirmative response. "Smith, Jackson and Sondergaard, equip the rocket launchers with anti-tank rounds. Let's give these fuckers a run for their money." Mads picked up a launcher himself, and prepared it against the upper line of the Trench.

"Everyone else, fan out a bit. Pick your targets and mind the overheating." Mads ordered. Most people acknowledged the order right away. "How many do you count?" Mads asked to Jane.

"At least 500." She quickly replied.

"Let's hope the volunteers hold their lines then." Mads remarked, making the last adjustments to the launcher.

"They are moving out." Jane added.

"Shit, alright." Mads quickly replied. "Everyone! Hold your fire until I give permission!" Mads called out. He held out his hand in a tight fist to signal hold fire. His naked eye could slowly see more and more detail of the armored vehicles as they approached closer and closer. There was a haunting silence between the men. The enemies moved slow, and as the came closer, a Jane remarked.

"Mads, I think I see more than one species."

"I don't think pirates care what species you are, when you sign up." Mads fired back.

"No, I don't just see Batarians and Turians. There is Humans too, hell, even Asari." She said, her voice completely serious.

"God damn it." Mads muttered.

They approached with a maddening slow speed. Each minute felt like hours as tension was boiling over. Mads still held his arm in the air, keeping thins calm on their side. It was clear that the main army was using the armored vehicles as cover. When they were within 500 yards of the trench line, the war finally began.

"Open fire." Mads released his arm, and the marines finally got to work. The volunteers were still holding up, which was surprising. Mads took aim with the rocket launcher. A few of the rockets missed their targets, but when they hit, it made for a beautiful sight, and a much needed morale booster.

They managed to get a few vehicles before the pirates were in firing range of them. They returned fire, laying down their own hell to the soldiers. It was easy to see that quite a few volunteers sticking their tail between their legs and getting the fuck out of there. A few marines were killed in the few moments before the pirates were just in front of the lines.

"JANE! SUPPORT THE EAST FLANK!" Mads ordered. Jane was hesitant, but none-the-less, she left. As they tried desperately to keep them out of the trench, it became clear that they had to retreat. "Fall back!" Mads yelled out as he began to leave the trench as well. Just as he left the trench, a grenade sends him flying and smacks him against a wall.

He feels his head pounding as the ringing in his ear continued. He tries his best to shake himself back into reality as he witness the pirates killing their way through the trench. After getting a hold of himself, Mads arose and quickly gets an overview of the situation that is changing by the minute.

He saw sergeant Shepard on the ground, trying her best to stop a bleeding wound in her thigh. A moment later, a pirate approached her with slow movement and knife in hand. Grinning like a kid on Christmas. Jane tried to reach her service weapon, but it was just out of reach. Mads quickly dug his 44. Magnum out of his holster and took aim.

The powerful roar of the powerful magnum made everything else silent. The pirate went down with a gaping wound in his throat. Despite his efforts to stop the bleeding, the fucker die within a minute. Mads quickly shoot a few other pirates, before getting to Jane.

"Damn, are you alright?" Mads asked as he looked over the wound. He tried to get his medi-gel out.

"Does it look alright? Of course I'm not alr- AAAAHHHHHHH" Mads applied pressure to the wound and applied the medi-gel.

"Shut up sergeant." Mads ordered as he support her to behind a wall. Giving her the service weapon she had tried to reach, he supported her to lean against the wall.

"Stay here, and give me supporting fire. I need to get back there. If I-" Mads began, but was interrupted.

"Don't you dare say it."

"-If I die, you take control. Do your best to stall them as the city evacuate. Got it?" Mads asked. She stayed silent in an effort to protest his action.

"Do you understand?" Mads asked again, his tone more harsh this time.

"I do. Please, stay safe." She pleaded.

"We'll see." Mads said as he took out his own rifle and checked if it was fully loaded. With a finally nod, he left Jane's side. The entire trench was overcrowded with pirates. But, there was a silver lining to this. They hadn't expected an offensive.

Mads fired at every target he saw. Time slowed down for him, each movement was like an instinct, fast and pure. With their comrades falling like flies, they began to retreat to the trench line. Mads kept up his offensive, a few of the surviving marines joined in. In no time, the pirates were disorganized and on the run.

Mads ditched his rifle as it overheated to the point where it was burning in his hands. He took out his knife and his magnum and went to work on the remaining pirates in the trench. Taking them out with vigor and hatred. As he kept up his rampage, his magnum clicked, signaling that his last round had been fired. A human pirate pulled out his knife with a smug smirk. Mads put his magnum down in his holster and gave a menacing look right back at the fucker.

It was a standoff as they dodged each other's attacks, until the pirate grew impatient with the stalemate. He went on an unwise offensive, until to get a knife in the back of his skull. In that moment as Mads pulled out his knife, he heard the roaring engines of alliance fighters flying over him. He laughed, almost like a madman as he realized what it meant.

As alliance troops poured out from shuttles landing, he smiled as he watched the soldiers gunning down the pirates. That was when Mads spotted on Batarian sitting by the trench wall. He was bleeding from a wound in his stomach. His armor was fancier than any of the other low lifes that had tried their luck this night. He figured he must at least have had some status.

Mads went to his side, and squatted down. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and placed one between his lips. He gave fire to it from his zippo lighter. Grunts came from the dying Batarian. "Who is behind this?" Mads asked.

There was no answer. "Give me a name, or I'll show you what I can do." Mads promised.

"Go ahead, you dumb fucking human.-" He stopped to cough up some blood. "-Whatever you think you can do, the man behind this CAN DO DOUBLE!" The then spat some of the blood in his mouth onto Mads' face.

"We'll see about that." Mads remarked as he took a drag of his cigarette. He blew the smoke into the Batarian's face. "I read a little bit about the Batarians. You guys believe your soul leaves through your eyes, yes?" Mads asked. There was no answer, but the look on the Batarian's face told him it was true. Mads then took another drag, and in one swift movement, jammed the cigarette into the Batarian's eye. He screamed as the eye became ruined beyond repair.

"Want to keep going? You got three left." Mads threaten as he grabbed the man by his collar.

"FUCK! Alright! His name is Elanos Haliat. But you don't want to fuck with him." The Batarian explained.

"May God have mercy on your wretched soul." Mads said as he took his knife and slit the bastard's throat. He gulped as the blood came out. His blood soaking Mads' armor.

Mads could still hear the gunfire going on, and when he looked over the trench wall, he saw the Alliance hard at work. Hours went by until the battle was finally over. The people still alive got the medical treatment they needed. The dead was treated with as much respect as they deserved. Mads watched over the battlefield.

He earned a nickname that day, one people still use to this very day. "The Red eagle". It came from his blood soaked armor, and the watchful eye he kept over the people there. A fair warrior. While Mads would never admit to having played any vital role, everyone knew he was the sole reason the colony was still standing.

* * *

" _I have been called a lot of names over the years… The savior of the human race….. The devil himself. But the one that really stuck….. Was the red eagle. People need heroes, doesn't matter if you want one, or if they deserve it. They will make you one….."_


	5. Chapter 4: New ship, New mission

" _You know….. God got a sense of humor too….. It's sick as fuck…. But that motherfucker got one. He operates in weird ways, but I have long since started sensing when something will go down. The SSV Normandy was no exception."_

* * *

 **4/4 2183**

 **Citadel ambassades**

The human ambassador Donnel Udina sat at his desk in his office, looking over the reports of several alliance soldiers. Sitting in front of Udina was Hackett and Anderson, they had been discussing possible human candidates for the Spectres. They had been through a dozen different folders at least, but Hackett and Anderson had turned them all down. They had one specific man in mind. Udina took the next report lying on the table and skimmed the text.

"Well what about Mads Romanov? Earth-born but no records of his past or upbringing" Said Udina, he was impressed by the file in front of him.

"It's an alliance secret, but he was raised to be one of the best" Said Anderson with pride in his voice.

"He proved himself during the blitz, singlehandedly held of enemy forces until reinforcement arrived" Hackett added.

"He is the only reason the colony is still standing" Anderson said, it was clear they were pushing for Romanov to be the candidate.

"We can't question his courage" Udina said.

"And his skill" Anderson said.

"I'll make the right paperwork then." Udina dismissed Hackett and Anderson, and quickly got to work on getting the right permissions. A task that was no match for someone of his power.

* * *

 **9/4 2183**

 **St. Petersburg, Russia.**

Mads groaned as the ring tone of his omni-tool went off by his bedside. The hangover was already in full effect as Mads moved his arm to grab the damn thing. He heard someone shift beside him, and quickly looked over to see a pretty little thing still sound asleep. He tried to remember the night before, but his mind refuses to cooperate. He coughed a few times as he gave fire to his cigarette. He finally answered the call. A small hologram of Anderson appeared, looking mighty disappointing.

"Romanov! I have been trying to get hold of you for 3 hours! What the fuck have you been doing?" He asked.

Mads looked at the clock and saw it was a little over noon. He took a drag of his cigarette, before he tried to answer in a raspy voice.

"You have been out drinking again, haven't you?" Anderson asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"I thought soldiers were allowed to do what they wanted on their leave." Mads replied, and his voice was quite hoarse.

"Jesus _fucking_ Christ. -" Anderson was interrupted from the woman sleeping on the other side of Mads' bed. "Can you turn down the volume a bit?" She asked in an irritated tired voice.

Anderson simply shook his head in a ' _I fucking knew it_ ' motion. "Go take a shower." Mads ordered. "Fine." She replied, once again annoyed.

"What's up Anderson." Mads finally asked.

"Big news. We have transferred your ass to a new ship. The SSV Normandy, top secret stuff, I'll tell you more when you get to Vancouver." Anderson answered.

"Vancouver?" Mads asked confused.

"Yes, that's where we are docked right now. Your ass better be here by the 16th or there will be trouble. The alliance will pay for the flight fee." Anderson ordered.

"The 16th? I thought I was on leave until the 25th, or did I misunderstand that?" Mads asked in a really tired voice.

"New orders. Get your sorry ass moving." Anderson said, and promptly closed the call. Mads groaned loudly at the new information. He could hear the shower running in the background. He went over to the window and rolled the curtains away. The sun blinded him, and annoyed his sensitive eyes to no end. Mads quickly finished his cigarette and put it out in the ashtray. He went over to the fridge, and pulled out the morning essentials, a protein bar and a bottle of beer. With a quick smash over the counter, the bottle cap yielded. He gulped it down greedily.

"Stay strong pal, we got a long way to go." Mads said as he patted the spot his liver was located. He sat down in the couch and turned on the TV, but hardly payed any attention to it. He took another sip of the beer as the door to the bathroom opened.

The woman (Mads couldn't remember her name) looked around the apartment for something. Finally she asked: "Have you seen my ear rings?"

"Doll, I can hardly keep my own balance right now." Mads replied as he took another sip of the beer.

"Nice tattoos by the way." She remarked as she searched endlessly for the ear rings.

"Thanks." Mads swiftly replied.

"Are they omni-tattoos?" She asked.

"No, it's real ink. Something most people are too pussy to do nowadays." He answered.

"But it also means that they are permanent." She added.

"True, which makes them mean more." He said.

"So I'm guessing that this is one time thing?" She asked, changing subject.

"I'm going back on active duty in a week. I'm hardly the most stable contact." Mads replied. She chuckled.

"Just know, I greatly enjoyed our night together." With that statement, Mads really regretted not remembering her name. She finally found her ear rings and bid him farewell. Mads let out a large sigh as he relaxed back into the couch.

* * *

 **16/4/2183**

 **Alliance Dry dock, Vancouver.**

It was raining as Mads stepped out of the cab. He quickly paid the bill and sent the cab driver on his way. The docks in Vancouver were big to say the least, and the city was quite a beauty to behold as well. He quickly cleared his way through security with a flash of his ID and walked towards the hangar Anderson had disclosed to him. He found it after some searching, and quickly went inside to escape the rain.

It was huge in there, and when he saw the vessel that they called 'The SSV Normandy' he could see why Anderson said it was a nice vessel. The shape, and the general size seemed quite fitting. Granted, it was not the largest ship out there, it was a frigate after all, but it still looked like a good ship. After watching over the eye candy for a bit, Mads saw Anderson approaching out of the corner of his eye.

"Glad to see you finally arrive." Anderson greeted.

"Yeah, took some time to convince security at the border that this was my service weapon." Mads replied as he patted the holster that hosted his 44. Magnum.

Anderson hummed in agreement. "Yeah, they are pretty strict about that." He remarked. "You like what you see so far?" Anderson asked.

"It's a nice sight, but why the smoke and mirrors?" Mads asked back.

"She is top secret. She is a project we have been working on for quite some time…. With the Turians." Anderson answered.

"You mean to tell me you got the birds to play all friendly? Okay, I'll bite, what is the reason for the secretary?" Mads continued his row of questions.

"The answer lies in the drive core design. It is capable of state-of-the-art stealth, becoming ' _invisible_ '."

"Hold the phone, what are you on about?"

"It can store the energy the drive core admits in heat sinks, and thereby avoiding detection by other ship's scans. They Normandy wouldn't be cloaked, they would still be able to see it through a window, but in the vast emptiness of space, that doesn't count for much. But it can fool all scans tools the enemy might have for a few hours." Anderson explained.

"I'm not gonna pretend to understand any of that, but it sounds mighty useful. But, what is my role here? You never did clarify that." Mads asked.

"Well, since you were promoted to Commander, I would think the title as Executive Officer would be quite fitting." Anderson replied.

"Really?" Anderson nodded. "Okay, that's rather cool. Let's go meet your crew, Captain." Mads remarked.

"With pleasure." Anderson replied.

They entered the ship, they were still doing some repairs on it. Fitting in the last details. The baby had already had its fair share of test runs. The interior design was certainly not human by nature, but Mads would give it the benefit of the doubt for now. The walked to the cockpit, where a man was endlessly typing away at several consoles.

"Commander Romanov, this is Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau." Anderson introduced, the pilot didn't even look back.

"Nice to meet you." Mads held out his hand, but the pilot was too busy typing in commands.

"Call me Joker, everyone else does." He replied swiftly.

"Okay." Mads replied, a sour taste formed in his mouth, but he ignored it. Before Mads could leave, Joker called out. "By the way, where are your wings?"

"What do you mean?" Mads asked confused.

" _The red eagle_. Don't tell me you are not some mythical creature." Joker replied, Mads looked at him confused.

"He is fucking with you." Anderson clarified.

"Ahhh, I see. Well Joker, my wings only unfold to those who truly believe in the myth." Joker laughed at that, Anderson joined in as well.

"Come on, let's meet the others." Anderson ordered.

The met several interesting people as they passed along. A lot of them were career veterans, who had a lot of experience in the field, which made things more comfortable. It was clear that the Normandy was made to be a success story, which could be paraded around. Which was probably why Mads was there as well, a decorated war hero.

Mads spoke with Dr. Chakwas, and found her to be a good doctor. She seemed to know her stuff, and the English accent would probably help ease the nerves, should he ever wind up there. Kaiden seemed like a good kid as well, but he had some emotional baggage he dragged around. Guess they could bond over shared trauma, should Mads ever feel like slipping what happened to him, which he did not plan on.

He was introduced to his sleeping pod, which looked less than comfortable, but it saved space. Although Mads had envisioned himself in the navy when he was a lad, he grew out of that dream and found being in the army a lot more comfortable, but the logo on his paycheck read 'Alliance Navy', so this was the reality he found himself in.

After that, Anderson left. Mads went to his personal locker to take the things out of his luggage. It included several things personal to him. A pocket bible from when he confirmed his Christian faith, a photo album he had recovered from the currently living Romanov family. There were other books and such, but he noticed his omni-tool was ringing, so he packed the rest up quick.

"Mr. Romanov, just wanted you to know your prediction was correct. The recent reveal of the new lines of products has sky rocketed the stock of Defetic industries. How do you do it?" Not many people knew it, but Mads had started a company in his free time. It was kept real hush-hush, considering it was not allowed by Alliance rules. The main purpose was stock advice, since Mads found the current market very easy to predict.

"A gut feeling. Did you buy into them like I requested?" Mads asked. The hologram nodded. It was the managing director.

"I did indeed. Do you wish to sell now?" The man asked back.

"No, give it 3 days, then sell. Transfer the usual amount to my account." Mads ordered.

"Understood, do you have an E.T.A on when you come back?" The man asked.

"Not at the moment now. I suspect three months, but we'll see. Scout the stocks and updates of the ExoGeni Corporation, and give me feedback by the end of the week." Mads requested.

"You got it boss. I'll be in touch." The call was ended, and Mads smiled to himself. No one could complain about the amount of credits in his bank account, but this was his way of using that education he got. A little capitalism never killed anyone.

 _Yeah, keep telling yourself that pal. Doesn't change what you have done._

Another side effect. Weather it was PTSD or his brain backstabbing him, Mads did not know. But he had been hearing voices every now and then. Sometimes he could pinpoint the voices to people he once knew, other times he couldn't. His dreams were not safe either. He couldn't recall having a good night's sleep in a long time.

Mads shook himself out of it. He didn't want to dwell on it now. There were bigger things coming. His gut feeling had never let him down before, so he would almost always follow it by instinct. Things were about to change, something would happen. Only time would reveal what that would be.

* * *

" _I consider myself a prime example of someone who got fucked over. The Normandy was just the beginning, and it would mark a new chapter in everyone's life. Rich or poor, good or evil. It didn't matter. This time, everyone was fucked."_


	6. Chapter 5: Eden Prime part 1

_Chapter 5: Eden Prime part 1._

 **Hey everyone. So we are finally moving over into mass effect 1. I will warn you all that it won't be 100% canon, but it will follow the lines of ME1 somewhat. I'm really glad for the 500 views! I never thought I would get any more than 10 views.**

 **Before I go any further. I have to admit I will probably steal certain elements from different stories. These stories are, but not limited to:**

 **Calinstel: To survive series.**

 **TheLastReckoning: Unbreakable promises.**

 **Jack Trader: Shining bright.**

 **Andrio: Adamo.**

 **Bill Atoll: Black dog.**

 **If you haven't, I would definitely recommend reading them!**

 **I have a discord server as well! Come check it out. I would love to interact more with you guys!**

 **discord .gg / F578759**

* * *

 **18/4 2183**

 **Normandy.**

Mads was suiting up, which could take some time. Rumors had been circling around, mostly that they were on route for a pick up mission. Mads wouldn't normally put on his N7 armor for a mission like this (if the rumors were even true, that is). But Captain Anderson had been quite secretive about the whole ordeal since they took off from earth, and if there was one thing Mads hated, it was being under informed.

As he finished up, and pulled up the jackboots, he began to make his way through the CIC to the cockpit. The hobnails echoed throughout the hallway, a detail he had always liked about them. As he entered the cockpit, he saw Joker once again typing away as the Normandy prepared to pass through the relay. A Turian was there, Mads had noticed him when he first stepped on board, but he kept himself in the shadows. Nihlus was his name, a Spectre by trade.

Joker fired off an update of the ship's readings under his piloting, and to everyone listening, it was clearly impressive. Mads had heard the story of Joker stealing the Normandy to show off his skills, and while that would have gotten anyone else a trial, his skills certainly impressed the captain enough to assign him as the main helmsman. Anderson even remarked that no one else is qualified to fly the Normandy.

"Good, inform your captain." Nihlus said, before quickly turning on his heels and walking the other way. Joker looked back at Nihlus as he was walking away.

"Jackass." He mumbled, but it was audible enough for the people in the cockpit to hear it. Kaiden was standing there as well, minding his own business.

"You do realize he just complimented your work, right?" Kaiden asked.

"It's one thing to wipe your ass after shitting, but hitting a target the size of a pin with our speed is an achievement." Joker replied. "Besides, I don't like him. There is something suspicious about his presence." He added. Mads had to agree, when FSB officers showed up in your barracks, it wasn't to check if everything was _okay_.

"The council helped fund the Normandy, the have a right to send one of their own on board." Kaiden answered.

"I would have to agree with Joker here, if the council wanted someone to check the performance level, they would have sent a Salarian with a data pad, not a Spectre." Mads remarked.

"See? The commander knows what's up." Joker said. Kaiden simply shook his head at the comment.

"Commander, please report to the comms room." Anderson's voice ordered. Mads quickly turned around to do as such. He walked down the hallway again, and into the meeting room, which was empty, expect for one Turian Spectre, who was looking over pictures of the colony of Eden Prime.

"Commander. Good to formally meet you." He greeted, though his eyes remained locked to the pictures going in a slideshow on the big screen.

"Yeah, same goes for you." Mads replied. "Though, forgive my curiosity, but what is a Spectre of your status doing on a human vessel?" Mads asked as he leaned against one of the chairs.

A small laugh was heard from the Turian, which confused Mads a bit. Nihlus finally turned around to face Mads, and he had a small smirk planted on his lips. "You are asking the right questions." He replied, which was quite cryptic. Before Mads could ask another question, Nihlus continued.

"Humans are fascinating creatures. But they are as green as grass in the galaxy. Eden Prime is supposed to show that humanity can uphold a stable colony. I heard it is quite nice."

"I have never been there, so I wouldn't be able to tell 'ya." Mads replied.

"But how safe is the colony really? Would it be able to withstand punishment?" Nihlus asked.

"What are you on about?" Mads asked. His guts screamed that something was being hidden from him.

"All I'm trying to say is that-" Nihlus was interrupted by Anderson entered the room. Mads quickly saluted the man he saw as a father figure. Nihlus remained stationary.

"Permission to speak, sir." Mads requested.

"Granted." Anderson replied.

"What the hell is going on? What is the deal with all these secrets? And what the fuck is this dude doing here?" The questions flew out of Mads' mouth, mostly because he was rather angry that he was kept out of the loop by the one man he really respected in this new world

Anderson looked over at Nihlus, and Nihlus simply nodded. "Romanov, calm down. Nihlus is here for two things. First off, let's talk about the mission here." Anderson started, the explanation was taken over by Nihlus.

"The colonists at Eden Prime recently uncovered a piece of what we believe to be Prothean technology. I'm sure you are familiar with Council space laws? ' _No Prothean technology can be hidden by a race from all other races'_ This means that this discovery involves the council." Nihlus explained.

"So we need a Spectre to oversee a simple pick up mission?" Mads asked in disbelief.

"No, that's not all. Romanov, Nihlus is also here to observe you. You have been picked for a possible candidate for the Spectres." Anderson added. Mads looked over at him with a very confused look.

"Hold the phone-, Are you saying that he is here to see if I'm Spectre material?" Mads asked.

"Yes, Commander. This is the first of many missions together. I will be the one to decide if you are ready or not." Nihlus answered.

"And you will see my skills on a simple pick up mission?" Mads asked, once again with disbelief in his voice.

"I like him, Captain Anderson. He can think for himself." Nihlus remarked, and Mads was getting sick of him dodging the questions.

"Prothean technology is worth it's weight in gold. It can hold many secrets, some can be used for good things, and some for bad things. We wish to ensure this is transported safely." Anderson said.

"Captain! There is something you have to see!" Joker voice broke out over the comms.

"What is it Joker?" Anderson asked concerned. Mads looked over at Anderson with a slight sense of worry as well.

"A transmission from Eden Prime! It seems serious!" Joker replied.

"Bring it up on the big screen!" Anderson ordered. Joker quickly did as requested. A desperate marine appeared on the screen, screaming at the camera. Heavy fighting could be seen and heard around him, explosives going off left and right, until finally the marine was killed in a hellfire of bullets. A single frame showed something remarkable, Anderson spotted it as well. He ordered Joker to hold it at the one frame.

Mads' eyes narrowed in, trying their hardest to see what it was. The image was blurry, and quite low quality. It looked like a ship of some kind. It was quiet for a little while as they all tried to figure out just what the fuck was going on.

"Joker! How long 'till we reach Eden Prime?" Anderson asked.

"17 minutes, sir." Joker replied.

"Romanov, I need you to get ready." Anderson turned around and ordered.

"I need a squad. We don't know what's happening down there." Mads replied.

"But Nihlus-"

"I don't care if I'm with James fucking Bond. If you want any chance of getting that beacon back, I need at least 15 men covering my ass." Mads fired back.

Anderson thought about it, but quickly agreed to the terms. With time limited, they went to work gathering and suiting. Kaiden was one of the few along, Corporal Jenkins as well. Most of the other were marines.

* * *

As the 17 minutes were nearing an end, they were somewhere that could be considered ready for the mission. They had suited up in their armor in record time, Nihlus was double checking his rifle as Anderson came down. While he looked calm to most, Mads could see the concern under his skin.

"Okay Commander. The main objective here is the recovery of the beacon. Do you understand?" Anderson asked, his voice clear and firm.

"Yes sir." Mads replied as he unholstered his rifle from his back.

"What about survivors?" Kaiden asked.

"That is a secondary objective. Focus on the matter at hand." Anderson ordered. The look in Kaiden's eyes said he disagreed with the Captain's orders, but that he wouldn't protest right now. Anderson nodded as the all seemed to understand and wished them all good luck. As he left, Nihlus got up as the cargo door began to open.

"Leaving so soon?" Mads joked.

"I move faster on my own. I will keep in contact." He said, and then he ran off the ramp and into a free fall.

"Okay fellas. When we drop, we need to create a perimeter and get a feel for the situation. Nihlus will be our scout, and we will move based on his information. Are there any questions?" Mads asked. No one said anything for a few seconds, and silence must mean they understood the matter at hand.

The light turned green, meaning that it was time to jump. They jumped out of the cargo hold one by one- The air breezed as they flew through the sky and landed down safely below. They took a moment to organize and set up a perimeter and get a foothold and a general view of the area they were in. They stayed silent for the most part, there was no telling where the enemy was hiding. 15 men had been deployed, 17 if you counted Mads and Nihlus.

"All clear, Commander." Kaiden said after a few seconds of it remaining calm.

"What the fuck are those?" Mads asked as he gestured to the almost floating creatures. Jenkins laughed at the question.

"It's a gas bag! They are quite harmless but killing them could be quite nasty considering the gas they hold inside." Jenkins clarified.

"Alright." Mads replied, before he turned his attention to his squad. "re confirm connection to the Normandy." He ordered. They all took a moment to check their omni-tools.

"Connection is gone sir." Someone said. They all nodded.

"Damn, okay. Top priority is getting the connection back. We'll be no good without the Normandy and Nihlus. How strong is the interference?" Mads asked, the tech geek went to work on giving a rough estimate.

"It is very strong. Whatever is blocking it is nearby." Sergeant Riesman replied. Mads wasn't all that familiar with Modern technology anymore, so having someone who was studying for a PhD in communications and computer science was quite treat.

"Okay, let's get there. Stay in formation and don't run off. Keep our flanks secure, and we move silently." Mads ordered. They nodded in agreement.

They went as quiet as they could. Every corner could hold a potential threat. The whole scene was quite intense. Most of the marines under his belt had never seen active combat. They put a lot of trust into him, but there was only so much we can do. They could see the very top of the satellite disk as the came to a hill. When Mads looked up, he could see the Normandy circling around.

A few dead marines were placed around the satellite disk. They were all fresh kills, so someone must have just been there. Mads gestured with his hand for them to keep their eyes open. He sent Riesman to work on the device that was hooked up to the control panel. It seemed to short circuit the whole thing. They once again found as much cover as possible, and set up a perimeter around the tower.

They used all the senses they had. They had no intel on these enemies that were attacking. For all they knew, they could've been cloaked. Riesman was still hard at work, and they all waited anxiously for something to happen.

A small sound was heard around the bushes, which most likely branches being stepped on. Mads gestured for them to sit still and allow whatever was in there to come out. But, as bad luck would have it, that didn't happen. Jenkins had potential for something greater, but he was too excited about seeing active combat, so the idiot went out towards the bush. Probably to claim the first kill.

As Jenkins poked the bush, he turned around to smile as he didn't see anything. Mads was still sending him angry gestures to get back, just as Jenkins was about to go back, something came out of the bush. It was some sort of large metal creature, and in the short time Mads had to act, it ripped it's arm through Jenkins' stomach. He screamed in agony as the arm twisted and retracted.

They opened fire on the creature, which fell after enduring quite a few bullets. The other marines quickly rushed to Jenkins' aid, including the team medic who was already getting medi-gel ready. Though it was a lost cause. Jenkins was only seconds away from death, the wound was too big. But, them trying to save him would be a small comfort to Jenkins in his last moments.

"Fuck… He's dead. No pulse…" The medic replied after attempting CPR and applying the Medi-Gel. His name was Kaminski, a good medic with a nice service record. But this must have been his first in-battle experience. Mads came over to the body of the kid known as Jenkins. Mads closed his eyes, and said a small prayer. Once he assured the others that he would get a good funeral, they focused on the thing that killed him.

It looked like a giant flashlight. It was an AI, but the others were struggling to determine what it could be. Mads looked over the features, and quickly got an idea what it might be. Geth, he had read about them in his quest to get up to date on the galaxy.

"Looks like the Quarian's problem is now our problem." Mads remarked as he studied the Geth further.

"You don't mean to say-" Kaiden started.

"It's a Geth, it's a unique design. No doubt about it." Mads interrupted. "Riesman, what's the status?" Mads asked as he arose from his squatting position.

"Nearly there…. Done!" He cheered. A beep was heard as the omni-tools found a connection again. Mads quickly tried to get in contact.

"Normandy, come in. This is Commander Romanov." Mads tried to raise them.

"This is the Normandy, go ahead Commander." It was Joker that replied.

"Joker, please put me through to the Captain." Mads requested, and he could hear his call being put through.

"Commander, what's the issue?" Anderson asked once he got through.

"Jenkins is dead. By the looks of it, we are dealing with Geth here." Mads said.

"God damn it. Look, continue with the mission. You have to hurry up, we can't lose that beacon!" Anderson ordered.

"Understood sir, and Jenkins?" Mads asked.

"Leave him. We will see to it he is given a proper funeral." Anderson replied.

"Got it." Mads quickly said as he ended the call. He gave the orders to all the others that

Next thing, was contacting Nihlus. He had to be quite a ways up ahead, and they needed to catch up fast if they would have any chance.


	7. Chapter 6: Eden Prime part 2

Taking a deep breath, Mads tried to raise Nihlus. He tried a few times without luck as they silently moved towards what was the dig site. He really hoped that Nihlus was still breathing, because his death would make everything 10 times worse for everyone involved, most of all the human race.

"Nihlus! Do you copy? Over." Mads was close to ripping his hair out in frustration.

"I'm here. About 2 clicks to the north. I'm investigating a small set of prefabs. Over" His reply was short and to the point.

"What's the status? Over." Mads asked.

"No survivors so far. I think we are dealing with Geth. Over" Nihlus replied.

"We gathered as much. We will check out the dig site and see what we can find. Stay in contact. Over and out." Mads ordered.

"Copy, over and out." Nihlus replied and dropped from the channel.

Mads did a headcount to see if they were all there. All were, except for Jenkins of course. Poor kid deserved better than to lie in a ditch and await the clean up crew. Mads quickly explained the situation and people nodded in acknowledgment.

As they saw more of the colony, Mads realized that it was actually quite a nice place. Very quiet, and farming was king here. It seemed like the ideal spot to settle down, or if you were hungry for opportunity. Too bad all that was out of the window now. Even if they recovered the beacon and fought back the invaders, it wouldn't change the fact that a peaceful colony was attacked. Meaning, every colony would have a tainted image from now on.

They walked through a tree line, when Mads stopped. "How much further?" he asked.

"About 200 meters." Riesman replied as he double checked the location. Right as he finished his sentence, gun fire was heard. They all took cover by the trees. Mads hushed them all to be quiet. The gun fire came closer and closer, until a lone marine sprinted into sight. It was a female, and hot on her tail was a few drones.

She threw herself on the ground and took care of the threat with a couple of well lined up shots. She stayed on the ground, probably to catch her breath. Two privates moved closer, as they started walking, the rest of the squad slowly began to move out of cover. They approached the female and helped her up. Mads jogged down to them, to see what was going on. Right as they managed to get her on her feet again, several shots rang out.

One private dropped dead in an instant. A shot straight through his forehead. No hope for him, the other had a wound in his waist. Mads dragged the wounded marine into cover, while pushing the marine to cover as well. The private grunted in pain as he attempted to stop the bleeding.

The rest of the marines took out the Geth firing. They were actually pretty hard to take down, and it's hard when what you are trying to kill can't even bleed. But they managed. Kaminski rushed over to try and save the private. The private's name was Thompson, only a first class straight out of training. After Kaminski assured Mads that he had it under control, did Mads stop trying to help. Mads turned his attention to the female marine.

"Mind telling us your name… -" Mads looked at the rank on her biceps "Gunnery chief?" Mads asked.

"I-It's Ashley... Ashley Williams… Sir!" She replied.

"Where is the rest of your unit?" Mads asked.

"They are… They are gone, sir." She answered. It was not very audible, and the words came with regret. Suddenly her eyes lit up a bit. "Wait a minute, you are _the Red Eagle!_ " She said.

"Yes, that I am. Look Ashley, here is the deal. We are already down three men, and we need the extra firepower. Are you willing to come with us?" Mads asked. She didn't need any time to think about it.

"Yes! I will give these fuckers hell." She replied. Her tone and eyes held that as a promise. Mads nodded.

"Okay, can you guide us to the dig site?" Mads requested. She nodded. "Alright, let's go." Mads said as he stood up.

* * *

"It's gone? But it was just here!" Ashley proclaimed.

"Well, it clearly isn't here. Which means it must be somewhere else. Any idea where that might be?" Mads asked as he took a puff of his cigarette. Ashley thought about it for a moment, but then snapped her fingers.

"The space docks! They were probably preparing it for transportation!" She replied.

"Alright boys, let's gear up and get there." Mads said as he put out his cigarette with the tip of his boot. They all readied up, some of the lazy bastards had even laid down as they were theorizing where the beacon could have gone.

"How is Private Thompson doing?" Mads asked.

"Not good. I think he may have internal bleeding. I'm not sure if he will survive the trip, much less more combat." Kaminski replied.

"Damn it, alright. We need someone to sit back with private Thompson." No one was volunteering for the job. "-Private Newfeld! You're up!" Mads ordered. The private let out a large sigh, but complied with the order in the end.

"Rest of us, we'll try to link up with Nihlus." Mads said. They all got ready and started to go up the nearby hill.

"Nihlus! Do you copy? Over." Mads said.

"I'm here. Over." He swiftly replied.

"We are going to the docks. The beacon is not at the dig site. We have already suffered another death. Where is your current position? Over." Mads asked.

"Close to the docks. This place is a war zone." Nihlus answered.

"Wait for us. There is no telling what is up ahead. Do you copy? Over and out." Mads asked.

"I will try," He said and ended the call.

"Prick." Mads muttered. They continued their way up the hill.

The saw something gruesome as they neared the top. Colonists were impaled on giant sticks like some sort of shashlik. "Jesus _fucking_ Christ. What are they doing?" Mads asked. Most of them gasped as they saw the mutilated corpses of what used to be simple farmers. "Get them down!" Mads ordered. Riesman nodded and started trying to figure out how to lower the spike and get the poor souls down.

"Ashley, Kaiden. Check out the prefabs over there." Mads pointed to a couple of research prefabs that were probably there for the construction crew.

"Got it sir." Ashley said, Kaiden nodded in acknowledgment. As Ashley made her way over there, Mads grabbed Kaiden's wrist. "Keep a close eye on her. She might be too stable." He whispered to him. He nodded.

As Riesman was still battling the technology that was quite foreign to him, the others were busy scouting out the area to make sure there was no nasty surprises waiting for them. Mads called Nihlus to make sure he was still alive a couple of times. Suddenly, the spike went down. The body fell on the ground.

Kaminski checked out the body as Riesman powered down his hacking program. "What is it?" Mads asked as he squatted down to be on same level as Kaminski. "There is a pulse, but I don't understand how." He said as he kept doing routine procedures on the body.

"That's fucking weird, I wonder if-" Before Mads could finish the sentence, the creature sprang into life. It bit straight into the side of Kaminski's neck as he screamed in sheer pain. Mads quickly drew his 44. Magnum as fired a bullet into the skull of the creature. It let go of Kaminski's flesh and dropped its head against the ground.

Kaminski was out of breath as he pulled as far as away from the body as possible. He breathed heavily to balance out his oxygen intake. He looked at Mads with wide eyes, and he watched the smoke still coming from the barrel of the Mads' gun.

"Thanks." He said as he began to inspect his own wound.

"No worries, are you going to be alright? You're not gonna turn into one of them, are you?" Mads asked, mostly as a joke, but you can never know.

"Very fucking funny." He replied as he applied some medi-gel to the wound. It had a wonderful effect. And Kaminski slowly calmed down. "Fuck me." He muttered as he laid down on the ground and rubbed his temples. In the meantime, Kaiden and Ashley returned.

"There are survivors in there." Ashley said as she pointed to one of the prefabs.

"Yeah, are they farmers?" Mads asked. Ashley shook her head.

"No, I think they might have been a part of the team that dug it up." She replied.

Mads quickly rushed to the prefab to talk with them. If anyone knew what was going on, it had to be them. But, the answers they came weren't worth all that much. One of them was clearly losing it, and the other was only holding on to her sanity by a thin thread. By the time he was finished asking them questions, Kaminski seemed to be back on his feet.

"Let's move out!" Mads ordered.

* * *

A few minutes later, and they arrived at the edge of the docks. Nihlus had told them he was already there, and that he was patiently waited for them. He checked in with private Thompson and Newfeld. They acknowledged that they were still alive, which was a good sign. As Mads got closer to the dock, he noticed that Nihlus was still searching around for something.

Before Mads could call out to Nihlus, someone appeared behind him. It was another Turian, and a big one at that. Not only tall, but a somewhat of quite muscular as well. Mads was suddenly worried, until the Turian started to speak to Nihlus. Mads couldn't hear the words being spoken, only that he got a gut feeling this would go south.

Sure enough, the rouge Turian pulled out a gun as Nihlus was facing away from him. Mads knew that if he didn't do something, Nihlus' brain would be splattered all over the concrete. To most people the move he wanted to perform would be both stupid and reckless, but he did it anyway. Mads sprinted for the love of his life towards the Turian holding the gun. He caught the last part of what he said to Nihlus.

"I got this."

Just as the Turian said the last word, Mads rammed into him, forcing them both on the ground. A gunshot was heard, and judging by the grunt of pain Nihlus was hit regardless, but sound meant he wasn't dead yet. The rouge Turian was up faster than Mads, and before he knew it, he received a kick in the face, forcing him back down on the ground.

There was a ringing in Mads' ears as he tried to spit the blood out of his mouth, and in the nick of time, he saw the Rouge Turian trying to stab him with his knife. This time, Mads was fast enough to dodge it. He rolled to his side and quickly got up. The Turian had lost his balance and was now at Mads' mercy. He kicked the fucker in his ribs, and the Turian let out something that sounded like a whimper.

But this Turian was made of something tougher than any other Turian he had ever met, because when Mads tried to go for a second round, the Turian rolled over and grabbed Mads' heel. Yanking him forward and causing him to lose his balance. This time, they both recovered fast. Mads wanted nothing more than to be done with this Turian, so he tried to do a quick draw.

Just as Mads' hand got hold of the grip of his magnum, the Turian realized what Mads was trying to do. In a quick and swift movement, the Turian managed to grab Mads' wrist just as he drew his gun. Mads had meant to shoot the Turian in the chest, but instead the Turian got shot in the arm. Blood instantly poured out of the open wound as the Turian roared. The gun was knocked out of Mads' hand, and before Mads could even react, he was held by the throat.

"You are different. I can see that." The Turian said, his voice deep and low. "-But it doesn't matter, I will get what I want." He finished, and threw Mads into some crates. Although Mads was quick to recover from this, the Turian had already left the scene, nowhere to be found.

Mads took a deep breath and grabbed his magnum before turning his attention to Nihlus, who was bleeding heavily from a chest wound. Blood was gently flowing from his lips. He coughed a few times as Mads called for Kaminski.

"You're gonna be fine, we got you." Mads assured him, trying to comfort him as he desperately tried tried to stop the bleeding.

"No…-" Nihlus coughed a few times, each more hoarse than the last. "-I'm not going to make it…. Listen-" He spit the blood from his mouth. "-The Turian was Saren-" He grunted in pain as Mads applied pressure on the wound. "-Arterius….. He is a Spectre too. You must stop him!" Nihlus ordered.

"He won't get away, you got my word." Mads promised.

"The beacon was moved-" Once again he grunted in pain. "I think it may be on the other side. If you move fast, you may catch it." Nihlus said.

"Don't worry. Just- Just relax, okay?" Mads tried his best, but just as Kaminski came, Nihlus drew his last breath and closed his eyes. Mads desperately searched for a pulse, but found none.

"He's gone." Kaminski concluded after he tried to revive Nihlus several times.

"Fuck…. We're fucked." Mads muttered. "Let's get the beacon before it is too late." Mads ordered. They nodded in agreement. They left the scene, but the feeling of it being hopeless haunted them each step of the way towards the train cart.

* * *

Several bullets and dead Geths later, they came across another problem that was threatening to damn it all to hell. Besides the giant ship that took off, that looked more like a hand from the sky, and all the dead Geth bodies, the Geth had left one final gift for them. Timed explosives, and by the looks of it, they had only a few minutes to defuse them all.

Lance Corporal Jackson was a life saver. He had been trained in handling and defusing bombs, and considered it his specialty. But, it mostly boiled down to a lot of crash courses on the subject. While Jackson was hard at work, Mads turned his attention to the Beacon. It looked like it was sending a signal into the heavens.

"That's weird, it wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up." Ashley remarked as she studied it.

"Normandy? This is Commander Romanov. We have the beacon, and we request a pick up as soon as possible. We are-"

"All done! Danger is out!" Jackson cheered as he defused the last one.

"-Well, the threat should be gone. Over." Mads said.

"Copy that, ETA is 5 minutes. Over" Joker replied.

"Copy, over and out." Mads said and ended the call. When he looked toward the beacon again, he saw Ashley was approaching it. "ASHLEY GET AWAY FROM IT!" Mads yelled. Suddenly, she beacon reacted strangely, and began to pull Ashley towards it.

Once again, Mads thought quickly, but perhaps not wisely. He jumped in and threw Ashley to the side, but in doing so, he became the new victim. Kaiden tried to grab Mads, but it was too late. The Beacon began to sweep into his mind and showed… Something. It was organic tissue being hijacked by synthetic. Organic beings being butchered. It all happened so fast, he hardly even noticed that he was floating in the air as he got mind fucked by the beacon.

The vision was over as soon as it began, and the whole ordeal seemed to overload the beacon. Because it blew to kingdom come as soon as it was done. The blast not only destroyed the beacon, but completely knocked out Mads. He was thrown back a couple of yards.

Blackness engulfed him.


	8. Chapter 7: Tali and the geth

**20/4 2183**

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya looked out the window of the Honorata. She had just said goodbye to her auntie Raan (Although Raan and Tali weren't related biology, Raan was still like family to her). Tali had been sent out on her pilgrimage, the rite of passage for all Quarians once they come of age.

Tali had been looking forward to this day for such a long time. All her life had been spent on the Rayya, one of the biggest ships in the Flotilla. Tali grew up hearing tales of their lost home world; she learned to hate the Geth for having exiled the Quarians from their native planet and colonies.

Tali also learned about the racism the other species in the galaxy had against Quarians. She had received food and combat training for her pilgrimage, she did receive some extra training and rations considering her father was an admiral. She, however, was also expected to return with something worthy of the Zorah clan name.

Tali had decided to start her pilgrimage on the Asari colony of Illium, while it was not the most welcoming colony regarding the migrant fleet, she had to start somewhere.

Tali was listing to her father's farewell massage.

 _Of course he couldn't be present during his own daughter's farewell ceremony._ Rael'Zorah was a distant father and Tali weren't sure if he even loved her. Tali's train of thought was interrupted by the ship's captain Keenah'Breizh.

"Tali! I know you are eager to get on with your pilgrimage, but you have to see this! I almost can't believe it" The captain said, he was in shock but saw the potential in this.

"What is it, Captain?" Tali asked, she was curious about what was going on.

"It's probably best I show you" Keenah said, giving a hand gesture telling her to follow.

Keenah walked over the to ships sensors with Tali following closely behind. He pointed to the screen.

Tali couldn't believe it, the screen showed several ships of Geth design flying around an unidentified ice world. The Geth hadn't been seen out of the veil in almost 300 years, this could be the start of something big.

"We have to check it out! This information could be the start of something big! Send me down, I can receive the intel" Tali demanded. The captain seemed to agree.

"I know, but are you sure you can handle this? Do you still remember how to disable the Geth while keeping the memory core intact?" The captain asked. Tali found the question stupid.

"Of course I do! I didn't spend all those months training for nothing" Tali said, it was clear she was offended.

"I know. All right then, Tali. Good luck and please come back safe" The captain said, Tali simply nodded and made her way to the cargo hold.

Tali could feel the cold of the planet even though she was wearing her suit. The planet was not suited to inhabited life. Tali used her scanner to locate a Geth patrol; several were present on the planet.

 _I wonder what they are doing here, whatever it is; it has to be reported back to the flotilla._ Tali thought as she stalked the patrol into a small valley. Tali made a small noise, just enough to get the attention of one of the platforms walking around.

The geth platform walked around the rock Tali was hiding behind. Tali quickly swung out and disabled the Geth. Tali knew she had to move quickly. The Geth fried their memory cores when they were disabled to prevent Intel from falling into enemy hands.

Tali opened up the hatch on the back of the Geth; she found that the process had already begun.

"Oh no you don't, you bosh'tet!" Tali almost yelled, but managed to keep her voice from being heard.

Tali was able to remove an almost intact memory core, she reviewed what she had found. Not much was stored on this platform, but there was an audio dated a couple of days ago, she played it.

"Eden prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit" The voice said.

"And one step closer to the return of the reapers" A female voice said.

The Geth had recognized the first one as Saren Arterius, a council spectre. The other one voice was not identified. Tali looked further into the Geth data to find out what this reaper thing was. She was shocked.

A race of machines that kills every advanced galactic civilization every 50.000 years. The Geth believe that the cycle will return very soon. Saren is apparently their prophet. This information needed to be passed on to the citadel. Tali decide to get back to the honorata, but she met with the captain who apparently also came down to the planet.

"Tali! Did you find anything?" The captain asked curiously.

"Yes and I don't like it. Have a listen" Tali said.

Tali played the recording for the Captain, although she couldn't see his face, she knew that he was in shock.

"Keelah" The captain said with shock in his voice.

"We NEED to get this to Illium, there must be people there who can help!" Tali pleaded.

"I think you are right Tali. This goes beyond the flotilla's interests; this might affect the whole galaxy. I just heard about the attack on the human colony of Eden prime. There are rumors that the Geth did it. This proves it!" The captain stated. They made their way back to the ship.

On the way the silence was broken by gunfire. Tali and Keenah jumped into gunfire, a Turian was leading a small band of mercenaries to kill them under order from Saren. Tali and Keenah managed to make their way to the ship, but it wouldn't be their last encounter with the Turian named Jacobus.

* * *

"They are blocking us! Why are they blocking us from landing?" Tali asked she was nervous and scared.

"Illium is known for not liking the Quarians. The migrant fleet is banned from this system. Let's just hope that Turian didn't follow us" Keenah said, he too was annoyed that they couldn't just land.

"Honorata, you are clear for landing" A voice came over the comms.

"Understood, coming in now" Keenah answered.

"Only took half a day" Keenah turned and said to Tali.

The ship flew in and touched down on a landing pad. Tali, Keenah and several other crewmembers came out and made their way through a cargo yard of some kind.

The Turian had planted a trap for Tali and the Quarians. Most of the crew fell within minutes, Tali and Keenah had to hide from them on a Turian freighter. While this was a temporary victory, it showed just how much trouble they were in. The freighter was headed for the citadel.

Tali and Keenah was turned over to C-sec. When they were released they once again were faced with racism from the citizens of the citadel. They tried to bring the evidence before the council, but were turned down by c-sec. While they discussed what to do next, a shot tore through Keenah's stomach, seconds later a second shot hit Tali in the side.

They were both limping, but they managed to escape to a keeper tunnel. Jacobus was not far behind. The door to the keeper tunnel closed just as he was about to enter.

"RUN ALL YOU WANT SUITRATS! I WILL GET YOU IN THE END!" Jacobus yelled as he began to open up the door.

Tali and Keenah made it into an incinerator room, Keenah was too weak to continue on and Tali could also feel the affect the bullet was having on her.

"You have to keep moving Tali. I'll just slow you down. There is a medical clinic in the upper wards. Please be safe, Tali" Keenah requested, his voice was weak as life began to escape his body.

Tali tried to get him to follow, but she soon learned he was dead. Tali began to quietly sob, but she heard banging on the door. She knew that the Turian wouldn't stop following her; she had to plan a trap. She set up her laptop and started playing the video of her father's farewell message.

As Jacobus finally made his way into the room he noticed the dead quarrian next to him, he started looking for the other one.

"You're good with a gun!" Tali yelled from the catwalk. Jacobus looked up at her.

"But I'm good with **this** " Tali turned on her omni-tool and set the room to burn.

"Burn you **bosh'tet!** " Tali yelled and closed the door behind Jacobus.

"Well played, Quarian" Jacobus remarked, he knew he was done for.

Tali left the room and headed for the upper ward. She could hear the Turian scream as he was burned alive, though she paid no attention as she was focusing on her on survival. Must people walking just ignored her, others called her names. No one cared for her wellbeing.

She finally made it to the clinic and was patched up by Doctor Chloe Michel. She was offered protection if she gave the Intel she had to the shadow broker. She just had to meet up with fist. Little did she know that it would become the adventure of a lifetime.


	9. Chapter 8: Complications

**19** **/4 2183**

 **Med-bay, SSV Normandy.**

A sharp light blinded Mads the moment he opened his eyes. He shut his eyes to avoid any further irritating, but could feel that his entire body was sore from the whole ordeal. His mind began to race to figure out what had happened, but before he would dwell too much into that thinking, he opened his eyes once again to see where he was.

He noticed that the lights were blinding him, but as he turned his attention to the rest of the room, he quickly realized just where he was. He was back on the Normandy, the Med bay to be exact. Even though he had established where he was, he couldn't shake the feeling of being disorientated. Mads groaned as he rubbed his temples. This seemed to alert Chakwas to the fact that he was alive.

"Commander, please lie still." Chakwas requested as she checked the his vitals. Mads did as she said.

"How long?" Mads asked after a few moments of silence.

"About 20 hours." Chakwas replied.

"God damn it." Mads muttered as he leaned back into the bed. Chakwas continued to monitor him for any side effects. She asked a few questions, where he is, who he is, and so on. His memory seemed fine, except that those images that had been burned into it.

"Tell me commander, what happened?" Chakwas asked.

"Ashley tried to approach the beacon, but it seemed to… Pull her?" He wasn't sure if anything he was about to say would make any sense what so ever. "I jumped in and managed to get her out, but the beacon grabbed me instead." Mads took a deep breath. "It showed me something. It looked like… Like Machines killed organic beings, maybe humans, I'm not sure." Mads explained.

"Hmmm, we need to monitor this. Prothean technology is highly unpredictable. How are you feeling?" Chakwas asked.

"I feel like I got mind fucked, doc. This vision is burned into my mind." Mads replied. Chakwas hummed and began to do some more monitoring.

"Good to see you again, commander." Kaminski said. He was on the bed beside Mads. He had a large bandage over the side of his neck. He was eating some soup.

"Kaminski, you didn't turn." Mads joked, Kaminski just gave him a cold stare. '

"Chakwas said the Medi-gel was applied fast enough for there to be no lasting damage. We can probably even fix the scars in due time. But… We were worried for you. Ashley most of all." Kaminski explained.

"I could imagine… Where is she now?" Mads asked.

"In the mess, I believe, most of the team is there, and -" Kaminski was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Captain Anderson himself stepped in.

"Kaminski, how are you feeling?" Anderson asked.

"I'm doing better captain." He quickly replied.

"Good. Dr. Chakwas, how is our commander looking?" Anderson turned around and asked.

"His vitals seem okay, and he appears stable. I do believe he will make a full recovery." Chakwas listed from the data pad.

"Great, can he come with me?" Anderson then asked. She nodded. Anderson gestured for Mads to follow him. Mads let out a semi loud groan as he got out of bed, but he made his way to Anderson's quarters.

Anderson sat down, and mentioned for Mads to do the same. Just as Mads had planted himself in the seat, Anderson spoke up. "This is not looking good."

"No shit. Two dead marines-" Mads started, but was interrupted.

"Three dead." Anderson corrected.

"Shit… Thompson didn't make it?" Mads asked.

"No, he died when the rescue team showed up. But Newfeld is in good shape. We have recovered Jenkins' and Smith's bodies as well." Anderson explained.

"Fuck-" Mads hug his head low. "-Three dead marines and a dead Spectre. Poor souls..." Mads remarked. "By the way, what the fuck happened? GETH? Are you fucking shitting me? We walked straight in to a death trap!" Mads ranted.

"We didn't know." Anderson swiftly replied. Mads wanted nothing more than to continue yelling, but deep down he knew Anderson was right. "The death you suffered was tragic to say the least, but you did your best. There are still 12 marines, and a new one, standing out there." Anderson was trying to comfort Mads, but nothing would help him.

"Nihlus mentioned Saren." Mads changed subject to avoid talking any more about his own failures.

"Yes, Ashley and Kaiden mentioned that. If this is true, than this is even bigger than we thought. Saren is one of the best spectres out there, the go-to guy for the council for any job. If he is leading an army of Geth, we are in trouble." Anderson replied. He showed Mads a picture of Saren on his Data pad.

"That's the fucker I fought and shot alright." Mads said.

"We will discuss this at the council meeting. We are flying toward the citadel now. Hopefully we will be there within 30 minutes. I want you, and all the other marines to be there." Anderson ordered.

"Yes sir… And about the beacon-" Mads took a deep breath. "-When it grabbed on to me… It gave me some sort of vision. It looked like machines killed organics, or something like that..." Mads explained.

Anderson hummed. "Yes, we would need to look into that. For now, top priority must be getting the shovel under Saren." Anderson said.

"I'll bury that Turian fuck 6 feet under." Mads snapped.

"Commander, calm yourself. I need you rational and sane right now. We have to do this the right way." Anderson swiftly lectured Mads. It didn't settle Mads' urge to turn the Normandy around and fly straight out into space to find the fucker himself.

"Go up and see how close we are to reaching the citadel." Anderson ordered. Mads saluted Anderson and took his leave. It didn't stop him from muttering curses under his breath as he left.

* * *

 **Citadel**

Once they had gone through all the necessary docking procedures, they were finally allowed off the vessel. The citadel was as it always was, busy. But, there was a distinct feeling of tension boiling. C-sec officers seemed a little more on edge than usual, docking was harder than it used to be. There were a lot of different factors weighing in.

Even the embassy seemed a little chaotic, but he had never seen it before, so that might have been the usual business. When they walked into the office of ambassador Udina, he was already in a meeting with the council. From what Mads could hear, it wasn't going to well. They were throwing words around and pointing fingers. Mads, Anderson and the rest of the marines that had been deployed to Eden prime waited patiently for Udina to wrap it up.

"Bunch of self righteous jackasses." Udina muttered as the meeting call ended and the holograms disappeared.

"Ambassador. I see you got an audience with the council." Anderson greeted.

"More like an uphill battle." Udina replied as he sighed. "And what's this? Did you bring the entire Normandy into my office?" Udina asked, probably feeling offended that they had brought the dirt in.

"These were the marines deployed to Eden Prime. They can all verify the reports you received." Anderson answered, standing straight in military fashion.

"Let's hope it helps smooth over the council. But we are not doing so hot. C-sec is looking into our allegations, and as far as I'm concerned, they haven't stumbled upon any piece of golden evidence." Udina remarked.

"13 witnesses and the dying word of a council spectre gotta count for something." Mads jumped in and said.

"If this was any other suspect, then maybe, but Saren is their top dog." Udina replied as he rubbed his temples.

"I'll kill the fucker myself if I have to." Mads bluntly remarked.

"You need to calm down commander. You have done enough damage, haven't you?" Udina snapped.

"So the bitch should just walk free? Fuck that!" Mads quickly fired back.

"Captain, get your XO under control." Udina ordered. Anderson quickly put an arm around Mads and whispered something that seemed to do the trick. As the tension began to fade away, they began to act civilized again.

"We have a formal meeting with the council in 2 hours. I want everyone in this room there, we need everything we can get our hands on." Udina ordered. Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

Time passed, and before they knew it, it was time to meet and discuss the Saren case with the council. The walk there was short, since the embassy wasn't too far away from the council chamber. They took the elevator to the very top, where they stood ready to begin the trial. Mads took his place at the very front alongside Udina and Anderson. The Asari councilor began the meeting with listing the accused and the accuser.

Saren didn't even have the guts to show up in person. Appearing as a hologram instead. It was probably for the best, since Mads would probably have shot him on the spot. He had lost three marines and had been humiliated by the Turian Spectre. Not to mention all the dead people that had died on the colony that day. Mads knew it was him the moment he saw the hologram appear, Nihlus had been dead right.

"The C-sec investigation has turned up no leads. Does the accuser have any evidence to bring to the table?" Councilor Tevos asked. Saren looked highly impatient, like a man that thought his time was begin wasted.

 _Just wait and see_ Mads bitterly thought, and was highly tempted to say it out aloud.

"I personally fought Saren on Eden prime. And as I'm standing here now, I can clearly verify that it was indeed Saren. I have 13 marines that can back my word up, but if that isn't enough-" Mads began, and typed a few commands into his omni-tool, which played Nihlus' dying words. The councilors looked at each others, seeing this as pretty rock solid evidence.

"Nihlus was most likely bleeding out at this point, he was talking crazy….. Or maybe Commander Romanov here put the words in Nihlus' mouth-" Saren said.

"What do you mean, Saren?" The Turian councilor asked.

"Captain Anderson hates me, ever since he failed his own mission and blamed it on me. It is clear to me, that Commander Romanov has been taught this hatred by his master, like an obedient dog." Saren explained.

"I shot you in the arm! Would you care to explain the healing wound in your left bicep?" Mads asked, feeling pretty confident, but the smug look on Saren's face told him otherwise.

"As the council knows-" Saren looked over at the councilors. "-I was on a highly dangerous classified recon mission."

"What recon mission?" Anderson asked in disbelief.

"Saren was assigned a reconnaissance mission to Asari space. He was supposed to… Look into an Asari cult known as _The light of the goddess,_ by all accounts, he was there when the attack on Eden Prime happened." Tevos explained hesitantly.

"And what proof is there of that?" Udina asked.

"Councilors, I would like to call in a witness that can verify where I was, and how I got this wound." Saren requested. The Turian councilor was quick to allow it. It didn't take long for another hologram to appear. It was an Asari, an older one by the looks of it.

"Matriarch Benezia." The Asari councilor greeted, and she looked a bit surprised at her appearance.

"Councilors." Benezia replied.

"Matriarch Benezia, can you explain where Saren Arterius was on the 18th of April." The Turian councilor asked.

"Saren Arterius was with me on _Operation Goddess._ He has been with the Asari task force since the 2nd of April." Benezia answered, her tone and face was straight. Hard to see through.

"Can you clear up how Saren Arterius was wounded in his left arm?" The Salarian councilor then asked.

"Saren was shot by an accidental discharge of a cultist's weapon. The culprit has been arrested, I can forward the information and report to the council, but I believe you already have it." Benezia explained. The councilors all looked through their files to validate the claim.

"It is clear to me that this is a waste of time. This is nothing more than a showcase of human incompetence, of which Commander Romanov and his crew is a prime example. Nihlus' death is most likely linked to a failure to spot the danger by Commander Romanov. I would suggest that you pull him from the Spectre list of candidates." Saren remarked.

"You motherfucker! This has nothing to do with my candidacy to the Spectres!" Mads snapped.

"The commander is right. The purpose of this meeting is not to discuss if Commander Romanov is fit for the Spectres or not." The Asari councilor clarified.

"Does it really matter?" Saren asked. No one answered his question.

"In light of the evidence from both sides, this council is ready to give a final verdict." The Salarian councilor said. All the councilors voted on their terminals. It took a few moments for the results to be given.

"This council does not find Saren guilty of the charges. He is free to continue his mission with his spectre rights." The Asari councilor read.

"Motherfucker!" Mads cursed. "You think you are gonna walk free, huh? ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS YOU TURIAN PRICK!" Mads yelled.

"This meeting has officially reached it's conclusion." The Asari councilor said. No further comment was given. They were given the cue to leave, and Mads had to work really hard not to show his anger any more in that moment. Anderson dismissed all of the marines back to the Normandy.

Udina held his head in his hands as the marines left. He was deep in thought over what he should next. Anderson was shifting on his feet. It was annoyingly quiet in there, while Mads was pacing around. "Are you gonna say anything?" Mads asked with a hint of boiling anger.

"Well, that's….. That's that" Anderson said as he pulled on his shoulders.

"That's that? That's what you have to say? How come with we just got fucked BIG TIME?" Mads then asked.

"Well, Saren has connections and I do believe-" Udina started.

"You shut your fucking mouth." Mads ordered, which came blunt enough to make Udina shut up solely based on the fact that he did not expect such an reaction.

"You never told me you and Saren had history together." Mads pointed his finger at Anderson.

"I did not see the relevance." Anderson swiftly replied.

"Relevance? The fucker just used that as an argument against us! And an Asari cult, a highly respected Matriarch? How deep does this rabbit hole run?" Mads asked.

"Saren has resources. He has deep trust with the council." Udina replied. Mads rolled his eyes.

"What aren't you telling me Anderson?" Mads asked, his tone a bit softer.

"A long time ago, I too was considered for the Spectres. Saren was my supervisor. There was a mission to a planet, and during this mission, Saren was looking for something while I attempted a rescue attempt. Saren destroyed an element zero refinery on the planet, and killed a lot of people. He managed to shift the blame onto me. He hates humans with a passion, which I suspect comes from the first contact war." Anderson explained, with underline of sorrow in his voice.

"Great, fucking great." Mads replied, as he took another lap at pacing around.

"Anderson, your history with Saren probably costed us the trial. If there is going to be any other investigation, I want you to stay clear of it." Udina ordered. Anderson quickly nodded. "Romanov, I want you to-" Udina didn't have time to finish his request before he was cut off.

"Fuck you Udina, and fuck your suit too. If you need me, I'll be down in the lower wards, most likely drinking my brains out." Mads snapped, and promptly left the scene. Leaving both Anderson and Udina dumbfounded.

* * *

Mads kept his word. He went to one of the cheapest bars down in the wards. Which was filled to the brim with shady people all around. He quickly took a seat at the counter, and ordered a glass of Vodka. While he wanted to go on a rampage, he realized that it wouldn't help in the slightest. Nothing really would. They had hit a brick wall. At least there was enough to observe in the bar itself. A big angry Krogan was arguing with another Krogan, who seemed to be a bouncer. Mads made a mental note of this for some reason, but none-the-less went back to his drink.

"Hey handsome, want a little….. Private dance?" Mads had barely noticed the Asari dancer that had walked up to him.

"Get lost." Mads simply replied. She looked mighty offended by his decline, and probably by the choice of words. He had someone tsk tsk from beside him. As Mads turned around to see who it was, it was a Turian in a C-sec armor.

"Is that how you treat women?" The Turian asked with a very cocky tone.

"And who the fuck are you supposed to be?" Mads asked back.

"Name is Garrus Vakarian, and I do believe we can help each other." the Turian said as he took a swing of his wine.

"That a fact? I'm listing." Mads replied, ten times more interested now.

"There are more layers to uncover, and I do believe I might have a lead, but I need some back up. You see, if there is one thing C-sec is good at, it's putting up red tape. I might have taken a look at some… Classified files, that are above my pay grade." Garrus explained, taking another sip of his drink.

"I'm all ears." Mads said.

"You know who runs this place?" Garrus asked.

"Some douche bag probably." Mads answered as he downed his drink and ordered another one.

"Yup, but as a matter of fact, his nickname is Fist. It's a well known fact in the underworld that he is an operative for the shadow broker." Garrus continued.

"Go on." Mads said.

"There are rumors going around, rumors that C-sec has been listing to, that Fist has found a Quarian with some very credible evidence on Saren. Problem is, I don't know where the Quarian is currently, but I know the Quarian was treated at the clinic just around the corner." Garrus finished.

Mads downed his drink and put the glass on the counter. He then took out his magnum and checked the chamber. 6 rounds to go. "Alright Garrus Vakarian. Let's see how good your lead is." Mads said as he put his magnum back in the leather holster.

"I knew you would be interested." Garrus said as he finished his wine and got up from his chair.


	10. Chapter 9: Light in the darkness

"So, here is what I'm thinking: Dr. Michel is running the clinic, we go over there, and we ask where the Quarian is, and then we-" Garrus was cut off by Mads grabbed his wrist and pulling him down.

"Damn Romanov, I don't think we have been together long enough to-" Mads hushed Garrus to stop him from continue speaking. Garrus looked at him confused, but picked up on the gestures that Mads was sending him. _Shut up and listen._

Garrus complied and stayed put behind the concrete railing that was supposed to keep drunken idiots from falling into the highway below. 

"-...Yes, I just got word from my contact that Romanov entered Chora's Den...-" Garrus could hear that it was a Turian speaking, and he wasn't alone.

"No, I won't fuck up. This is the only way in and out, we will stay put here and wait for that human bastard to show his face...-" A moment of silence. "-I understand… Yes, there will be no failures."

Mads slowly pulled out his magnum from his holster. Garrus did the same with his service pistol. He hadn't expected there to be an actual hit on Romanov. This was probably just more evidence that Saren was pulling some nasty strings to cover up loose ends. Mads counted down with his fingers, and Garrus just waited for the signal to attack. When the last finger dropped, they both jumped out of cover.

As Mads fired his hand cannon, Garrus was blinded for a second, and had a very annoying ringing in his ears. He had never heard anything like it. But, there were more pressing matters. Garrus killed a Salarian, while Mads took care of the main Turian. Mads shot the Turian in the knee, caused him to fall on the ground, grunting in pain. The Turian hitman attempted to reach for his weapon, but Mads quickly closed the distance, and kicked the gun right out of the Turian's wrist, dislocating said wrist in the process.

While Garrus finished off the last Salarian, Mads squatted down to be eye-level with the Turian that was leaning against the concrete railing. "Who sent you?" Mads asked with a cold tone in his voice. There was no answer. Mads sighed, and jammed his finger into the wound in the Turian's knee.

The Turian screamed in pain, but no one noticed it, since both the music from Chora's Den was so loud, and the highway below was deafening as well. "I asked you a question. It is simple manners to give an answer." Mads explained.

"Fuck you." The Turian cursed. Mads took his magnum and pressed it against the Turian's forehead.

"Is this really how you want to play it?" Mads asked with disinterest. But, Mads had not anticipated the Turian grabbed his hand and pressing the gun further into his own forehead.

"Do it. You will be doing me a favor!" The Turian and Mads began to struggle over dominance in the situation. In their struggle, the trigger was pulled. The Turian went limp and blood began to pour from the open wound in his forehead.

"Quite a mess you are making already Romanov. Are you sure you are not a bad influence." Garrus asked.

"Shut up." Mads grunted as reloaded the magnum and put it back into his holster. "Let's go to that clinic before another wannabe hitman shows up." Mads suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Garrus quickly replied and jogged after Mads.

* * *

The clinic was close by, so the walk wasn't far. But both Garrus and Mads were on edge the whole way over there. If Saren was bold enough to send hitmen in broad daylight, there was no telling what else he could think of during… Except of course to attack a Human colony and lie to council. Things only got worse when they arrived at the clinic.

It was clear that someone had broken in, and whoever had broken in, was still in there. Mads and Garrus took potion on either side of the front entrance. "So, can C-sec give us a blessing for going in?" Mads asked. Garrus have a quick laugh.

"And here I thought you were without humor." He replied.

"I can be funny when the situation calls for it." Mads said.

"Oh yeah? And does the situation call for it now?" Garrus asked smugly.

"Well, should we fuck up our situation more and try to handle this ourselves… Or should we kindly ask C-sec to look into it." Mads asked already knowing the answer. Garrus gave out a quick laugh.

"If we go to C-sec here, they won't show up until all the thugs are gone, and all the evidence is non-existing. I'd say we go while we have the chance." Garrus replied.

"Better to ask for forgiveness than permission I guess." Mads said, and Garrus nodded in agreement. Mads counted down on his hand again, and Garrus got his service pistol ready. They could hear raised voices coming from inside, someone was arguing. Mads could only hear a few lines of what was being said. The countdown reached zero, and Mads and Garrus gave each other a nod.

They busted through the partially destroyed door, and quickly got a feel for what was going on. At least 5 thugs were shaking up the place. The ring leader quickly pulled Dr. Michel into a choke hold, with a gun to her head.

"Garrus, Romanov. A pleasant surprise." The ringleader said. "I would suggest you put down your guns, unless you want to see the walls decorated with Dr. Michel's brain." He smugly suggested. Garrus looked over at Mads, the look in his eye asked for permission. Mads gave him a half nod.

Garrus pulled the trigger, and killed the thug in a shot that would be applauded on a shooting range. It fact, it was so shocking, that the other thugs barely reacted before Mads started his rampage. The thugs were poorly trained and without any real experience. Mads could tell so in an instant. With the last one dead, they could turn their attention to Dr. Michel. Garrus went to walk calming her down, while Mads inspected the bodies of the thugs.

"Dr. Michel. Are you alright." Garrus asked.

"Y-Yes, I'm… fine. Thank you." Dr. Michel replied, but it was clear she was still in a state of shock.

"Serve and protect." Garrus remarked as he holstered his service pistol. "Mind telling us why these thugs were shaking you down?" Garrus asked.

"They work… _worked_ for fist. They were sent here to silence me." She replied. Mads released his hold on the collar of one of the dead thugs, and caused the body to fell to the ground.

"Silence you for what?" Mads asked.

"The Quarian." She swiftly answered.

"Tell us more." Garrus requested.

"A Quarian came in here wounded a few days ago, said she had some very valuable evidence she wanted to get rid off. Another client suggested fist to her, since he was the connection to the shadow broker." Dr. Michel replied.

"Did she mention what kind of evidence?" Mads asked impatiently.

"Something about a Spectre." Michel answered.

"Do you know where she is know?" Garrus asked.

"She had a meeting with Fist. So maybe at the Den?" Michel theorized.

"Thanks Doctor. You have been a huge help. You might want to contact your insurance company, and C-sec." Mads said. She nodded in agreement. She looked around her clinic, and was horrified at how messy it was. Mads and Garrus stepped out in the meantime.

"If we have to hit the Den, we need more people than you and I. Fist does actually have an army of small time criminals." Garrus said.

Mads scratched his chin as he thought about it. Official alliance help was out of the question, so was C-sec assistance. But, there might be another option. "What about that Krogan?" Mads asked.

"What Krogan?" Garrus asked.

"The big angry fucker that was arguing with the bouncer in the Den. He seemed like he wanted an audience with Fist." Mads replied.

Garrus hummed and opened his omni-tool. He entered a few commands and waited a few seconds. "Ah ha. I see. Urdont Wrex is the name. C-sec is currently keeping their eyes on him." Garrus said.

"You have access to that information?" Mads asked.

" _Access_ is a relative term… Depends on how you look at it." Garrus replied.

"You hacked the C-sec database, didn't you?" Mads asked.

"No comment." Garrus swiftly answered.

* * *

"You are on thin fucking ice here, Wrex. One more wrong move, and you will be put in cuffs." A human C-sec officer threatened.

"You must be the dumbest officer I have ever met if you believe a night in the joint will stop me from doing what I must." The Krogan known as Wrex replied.

"Whatever." The C-sec officer replied, and stepped away with his armed friends. "Garrus, I thought you were supposed to be on desk duty for the next month." The C-sec officer said.

"Officer Jensen, I thought you were supposed to lick the captain's ass." Garrus fired back.

"Watch yourself Garrus." Jensen threatened, but left right afterwards.

"I take it you are Urdont Wrex?" Mads asked.

"Yes, and you are the human that was drinking in Chora's Den. What do you want?" Wrex was straight to the point.

"I was led to believe you wanted a chat with Fist?" Mads asked. Wrex nodded. "Well, me and my friend want to have a friendly conversation with Fist as well. But, the man has boxed himself in. Now, if three armed and dangerous people were to storm the Den, it might be possible to… Convince Fist that we want to talk." Mads said.

"I see where you are going Human. Fair enough, I will help you. But on one condition." Wrex replied.

"Let's hear it." Mads requested.

"I get to kill fist." Wrex bluntly answered.

"Garrus, is Fist a low life criminal?" Mads asked.

"Yes."

"Does C-sec have a warrant out on his ass?"

"Yes."

"Will anyone miss him?"

"No."

"Then we have a deal. We get to talk with Fist, and you get to slay him." Mads promised. Wrex looked pleased. "Okay, we do this without C-sec or the alliance knowing, okay? We can't risk getting detained by them. Stay focused, and stay quiet." Mads ordered.

* * *

Mads put out his cigarette with the tip of his point. They were getting ready to enter the Den once again. Fist must have known something was up when his thugs didn't return. The whole Den had been locked down, and if Mads had to make a qualified guess, Fist had mobilized all the people he could and have laid out defenses. "I really wish I had brought more than my Magnum." Mads muttered as he reloaded it.

"What the hell is that thing anyway?" Garrus asked with curiosity.

"Smith and Wesson model 629, 44. Magnum. 6 inch barrel" Mads replied, but the confused look in Garrus eyes meant that it didn't ring any bell. "Right, look who I'm talking to." Mads remarked. "Look, let's do this before it gets any worse." Mads suggested.

"Won't hear me complain." Garrus replied.

"You ready Wrex?" Mads asked.

"Of course." Wrex simply replied.

Mads took a deep breath, and gave them a final nod. Wrex took point, and kicked the shit out of the door. Even though the thugs on the other side had been expecting them, they hadn't expected such an entrance. But, people had a habit of underestimating them. Wrex was the only one that was truly armed for this conflict, his shotgun worked wonders in close quarters.

Which meant that Mads and Garrus could focus on the smaller targets while Wrex could focus on being a big angry Krogan. It was amazing how fast a bar could turn into a war zone, tables had been relocated to be cover, the walls had been decorated in neat little bullet holes and redness of the blood sure suited counter. Everything seemed to be going well for the three warriors, until the Krogan bouncer showed his ugly face.

"Uhhhh… Wrex?" Mads asked as the Krogan bouncer began to charge towards Mads. Mads popped a few rounds in the Krogan's stomach, but it did nothing to slow the beast down. The Krogan knocked Mads into the wall, and knocked the wind out of his lungs. It began to target Garrus right there after.

"WREX?!" Garrus called out as the Krogan bouncer went after Garrus. Wrex was too busy cleaning up the last human thugs to hear what was going on. Garrus ran as the Krogan bouncer gave chase, that was until Garrus tripped over one of the chairs that had been knocked over. The expression on Garrus' face could only be read as ' _fuck me'._

That was until someone yelled behind the Krogan, and went Garrus turned his head to see what was happening, Mads ran at full speed up to the Krogan and jumped on it's back. "Yob tvoyu mat!" Mads yelled as he began to stab the Krogan in the face with his combat knife. The Krogan bouncer tried desperately to get him off, and from the grunts the Krogan was letting out, it was clear that the attack was hurting it. After the 15th stab, the Krogan finally went limb, and fell straight onto the ground. Mads rolled over and got up after a few seconds.

"Spirits… Is that normal human behavior, or just retard strength?" Garrus asked as he too got up. "You… uh… Got some blood on your face." Garrus remarked. Mads ran his finger over is upper lip, and sure enough, he was bleeding from the nose.

"Fucking great. Is my nose broken?" Mads asked. Garrus looked at it, pressed on a few different spots, but Mads gave no reaction.

"Nope, I'd say you are fine." Garrus replied.

"Then let's have a little chat with Fist." Mads suggested. Wrex had finished off the remaining thugs and was waiting patiently at the door for the others to arrive. Garrus went to work at hacking the door opened, which only took him a few seconds.

The rest of the thugs bolted as soon as they saw the trio coming through the door. They could clearly hear Fist cursed them to hell in the next room, calling them cheap and cowards. Fist was trying his hardest to get the final defenses to work, but it was far too late.

"Fist, what a lovely surprise." Mads greeted with a smug smile.

"Listen, we can work something out, I-I got information that can help you!" Fist pleaded.

"I'm all ears." Mads replied.

"There is a Quarian, she said she had evidence on Saren that proved he was behind the attack on Eden Prime. I sent her to an alley just nearby, she thinks she is meeting an agent of the Shadow Broker, but...-"

"But what?"

"It's a setup… Saren's men are going there to meet her… But, if you are fast enough, maybe you can catch them!" Fist was spilling the beans fast.

"Hmm, Garrus, do you think he is lying?" Mads asked. Garrus hummed as he analyzed the situation.

"I think rats like him tend to tell the truth when death is at his door." Garrus replied. Mads nodded in agreement.

"So… You are gonna let me go?" Fist asked hopefully.

"Oh, that's for good ol' Wrex here to decide." Mads padded Wrex on the back. Fist looked up at Wrex, and found only a cold stare.

"Come on Wrex, we can work something out!" Fist begged, but it was no good. Wrex pulled out his shotgun and pointed it at Fist.

"The Shadow Broker sends his warmest regards." In that moment, Wrex pulled the trigger, sending Fist flying against the wall. Mads did a quick sweep around the office as Wrex holstered his shotgun, Garrus was impatiently tapping his foot as Mads opened a safe in the floor.

"What the hell are you looking for? If you haven't noticed, we don't have all the time in the world." Garrus pushed. Mads pulled out some disks from the safe.

"Consider it insurance we don't end up in jail." Mads replied as he put them in his punch on the back of his belt. "Let's go safe the Quarian." Mads ordered.

* * *

Tali was getting tired of watching over her own shoulder all the time. Ever since she got her hand on this evidence, she had been hunted and hadn't been able to get any rest. She wanted nothing more than to be free of it. She prayed to the ancestors that it would work out, that she could simply get back to the pilgrimage. But as she was standing in the dark alley way, awaiting the Shadow broker to show up, she began to think about how stupid and naive she was being.

This _Saren_ fella was out to get her, getting the evidence off her hands probably wouldn't help anyway. She knew she was most likely neck deep in shit, but she was in too deep now. Better to offload the evidence and go on. As she was dwelling into these thoughts, a few different people came in to view. A Turian, and a few Salarians, certainly not the Shadow Broker.

"Who are you? Where is Fist? Where is the Shadow Broker?" Tali asked, trying her best to sound as tough as possible.

"They will be here soon. Do you have the evidence?" The Turian asked as he began to run his hand up Tali's arm. Tali quickly pushed it off, making the Turian give off an offended look.

"No way, the deal is off." Tali said, surprising the Turian. She actually surprised herself with how firm she sounded.

"You shouldn't have done that." The Turian said as he tried to grab her wrist. But, in a quick movement, Tali threw a grenade. She had scouted the alley while she was waiting, and had noticed that the barrels in the corner was actually highly explosive. Lucky for her, the Salarian henchmen had been standing close to it.

She used the time she had brought herself to get in to cover. She fumbled with her belt to get her gun out, when she finally got it out, she let out a few rounds from behind cover. From the grunt of pain she heard, she had hit someone with it. If she could just hold them off, someone would come. At least, that's what she tried to convince herself off. She knew that she would be blamed by C-sec if they showed up.

After firing a few more rounds, the old pistol overheated, and she cursed as she tried her best cool it down quicker, but suddenly felt something poking the side of her helmet. She knew right away the Turian had sneaked up on her, and now held his gun to her head. She took a deep breath.

"You stupid fucking Quarians. You never know when to give up, that's the reason you lost your home world." The Turian mocked. Tali wanted nothing more than to beat him, but she was only a squeeze away from death. Only now did her mind begin to comprehend what that meant for her.

A million things went through her head: _What about my father? What about my future? What will happen?_ Images of her life flashed before her eyes, it would seem like her brain was beginning to come to terms with what would happen. She only awaited the loud bang and the darkness that would follow.

Only one of those things came true. A loud bang, louder than she had expected. Then came a grunt of pain, as well as the sound of someone falling on the ground. Tali opened her eyes and felt that the gun was gone. The Turian was on the ground, trying to stop a bleeding wound in his arm. The was groaning in pain, as some human walked up to him.

"no no no no NO!" The Turian cried as the human pulled the trigger. There was the same loud noise, but this time it came with a flash that almost blinded Tali. The Turian went limp. A wound in his forehead was slowly, but surely forming a pool of blood underneath his head. The human put the gun back in to his holster.

Tali was confused, but she was also scared. She didn't know who to trust. She quickly picked up her own gun and pointed it at the human.

"Whoa, easy there. Let's… Let's just take it nice and slow." The human said, slowly lowering himself to be the same eye-level as Tali. "What's your name?" He asked slowly and calmly.

"I'm-I'm Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." She replied, and she could feel her hands slowly calming down.

"It's nice to meet you Miss Zorah. I'm commander Romanov, I'm with the systems alliance. That-" Mads pointed to Garrus. "-Is Garrus Vakarian, A C-sec officer, and that's Wrex, he's a… uhh..."

"Gun for hire." Wrex said.

"Right, gun for hire." Mads said. "Listen Tali, I know things may seem a bit strange right now. But, we heard that you have evidence linking Saren to the attack on Eden Prime, is this true?" Mads asked. Tali slowly nodded. "Okay, good. Now, I know you have no reason to trust us, but… We do kinda need that evidence to get back at Saren. If you would come with us and show the evidence to the council, it would do wonders." Mads requested. Tali stayed silent.

"Okay, maybe we can make some sort of deal? What do you want?" Mads asked.

"Protection." She swiftly answered.

"Okay, Protection we can handle. We can sort out the details when we get to the embassy. But I must ask that we hurry this along." Mads requested. Tali gave a small nod, and with that, Mads offered his hand. She was hesitant, but took it. Mads pulled her up from the sitting position she had been in.

 _Where will this take me?_ She wondered as she began to follow the trio.


	11. Chapter 10: The first human spectre

"Okay, thing is… Udina and the rest of the alliance kinda… Don't know the trouble we have been causing. I think that the evidence will help smooth things over with them, and get a cheerful smile on their face, but you never know. So, limit your talking as much as possible, and try not to kick the hornet's nest." Mads advised.

"I thought you said it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission." Garrus replied.

"Yeah, but I don't think they'll like us going behind their backs on this." Mads said as they walked up the stairs of the embassy. "Okay, moment of truth." Mads remarked as he opened the door into Udina's office.

Udina and Anderson were having some sort of discussion when they entered, and by the looks and sounds of it, it wasn't a pretty one. They stopped once Mads, and his new band of friends, entered. "Romanov, riddle me this: For the last two hours, C-sec has been sending me reports that someone with the rank of commander is tearing up the lower wards, starting gunfights and killing people left, right and center. You wouldn't happen to know the man who did this, would you?" Udina asked highly impatiently as he tapped his foot.

"That would happen to be me… Sir." Mads answered.

"Why? Why the hell are you trying to stir up more trouble? We are already on a very thin thread here!" Udina ranted.

"I did it because it gained us something. You might notice there are three aliens in your office right now, and that's not just to meet the diversity quotas for the month. Tali, take it away." Mads said as he stepped back.

"Thank you." Tali replied, before opening her omni-tool. "As some of you may know, we Quarians are required to go on pilgrimages once we reach adulthood. Just as I had started mine, I picked up the news about what had happened on Eden Prime, and my Captain intercepted a signal from a planet that proved to be of interest. I managed to take out a Geth platform, and remove its audio bank-" Tali was interrupted by Anderson.

"I thought the Geth fried their memory core when they died?" He asked.

"Yes, but if you are fast and know what you are doing, you can recover information before it is gone, as is the case with mine here." Tali typed in a few commands on her omni-tool, and played back the message she had gotten.

"Eden prime was a major victory! We got what we wanted, and we left the humans looking weak!" The voice on the recording was without a doubt Saren in his full glory, sounding way too smug for his own good.

"Yes! We got him!" Anderson cheered.

"Wait! There is more." Tali said, and played the rest of the recording.

"Not to mention this is a step further towards the return of the reapers." The other voice was quickly recognized by Mads. Matriarch Benezia, the bitch that had defended Saren and gotten him off the hooks. Of course she was in on it.

"Well, that proves Matriarch Benezia's lack of innocence in this case. Two birds with one stone, how lucky can one be?" Udina almost cheered.

"The council is gonna love this! I can't wait to see the Turian councilors face!" Mads laughed.

"What about those reapers?" Anderson asked a bit concerned.

"According to the Geth data base and logs, they are an ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans." Tali clarified.

"An ancient race of machines? I thought the Protheans died in like… A civil war or something?" Mads was a bit intrigued.

"That is indeed a popular theory." Anderson confirmed.

"It's probably just some set of lies that Saren preached to the Geth to get them to follow him, or something like that. There is no way there is an ancient race of machines, we have never heard or found anything!" Udina said.

"Shouldn't we at least keep the option open?" Mads asked a bit concerned.

"We can look into it later. For now, we have Saren and Benezia. There is no way the council can dismiss this." Anderson replied.

"Captain Anderson is right. We must focus on the matter at hand. I will call for another meeting with the council; I will alert you once I have confirmed it." Udina added.

"Understood, sir." Mads replied. With that, was their cue to leave, they could walk around or something until Udina and his smug face had gotten the attention they needed.

* * *

"I'll have… A large beer, and… The Spareribs, please." Mads requested. The Asari waiter smiled and nodded in confirmation as she noted it down on her omni-tool. Mads put down his menu card and looked over at the rest of the people sitting at the table. It was his idea to get something to eat before the Council meeting, mostly because he was starving and he felt like he owed them at least a little something.

Garrus ordered some Turian wine, alongside a dish of which Mads could not pronounce. The restaurant was named ' _Galaxy united'_ and prided themselves on serving every species and having food for all. Wrex ordered a ridiculous amount of food, but given his size, Mads would let it slide for now. Kaiden and Ashley had joined them as well, both ordered some Italian style dish. Tali seemed lost in trying to figure out what she wanted to eat. The Asari waiter waited impatiently for an answer.

"What do you want, Miss Zorah?" Mads looked over at Tali and asked.

"This is all… I don't..." She tried to say several different things at once. Mads shifted his graze from Tali to the waiter.

"What's the best Quarian food you have here?" Mads asked.

"The best would actually be-" The waiter started, but was quickly interrupted.

"Great, she'll have that." Mads said.

"But, I don't have the money for that, and I couldn't-"

"Nonsense! I'll pay for it. Consider it my thanks for giving us the evidence." Mads said. The waiter didn't seem to care as long as they would get the money, and took the orders with her to the kitchen. Time passed as they waited for their food to be prepared. Some people struck up some chatter along each other, while others sat silently and looked down in their lap.

Good thing about eating out nowadays, was the quick service you were getting. In some areas, Mads could appreciate the new technology, while in other ways it seemed to be dumb down the population. The food was okay-ish, nothing fancy, certainly not for the price they were paying, but Mads hadn't eaten in quite a while, and he was quite hungry after the events that had unfolded that day.

"So, I heard you caused quite a mess down in the lower wards." Kaiden remarked as he took a break from eating his ravioli and took a sip of his coke instead.

"Well, Saren is apparently tried to clean out house. Some low life Turian prick tried to take me out, but he made his own choice. I suppose he is with the Spirits now, as the Turians believe." Mads said.

"Him? I doubt it." Garrus added.

"Garrus over here knows where trouble is, and has no problem leading us straight to it." Mads remarked as he pointed to Garrus.

"What can I say? I'm Judge, Jury and executioner all at the same time. Saves money." Garrus joked, Mads let out a short laugh as he dug back in to his ribs. They mostly ate in silence after that, most of them were probably deep in thought anyhow. Tali barely touched her food, while Wrex had no problem downing his food in record time.

Just as they were about to wrap up, the call came over Mads' omni-tool. The meeting had a start date, which was pretty soon, in an hour to be exact. There was a bit of a walk to the chamber, not to mention the elevator ride took forever. Mads kept his promise and paid for it all, which seemed to please most of them.

Mads had run late again, second time showing up a few seconds late to a council meeting. To most people, this would be dis respectable, but Mads couldn't care less. If they were so high and mighty, they could wait a few seconds. Anderson waved them to the chamber, very Udina was looking smug before the councilors. This time, it was a smug face Mads could agree with.

"Commander Romanov. Ambassador Udina has informed us that you have new evidence that should be reviewed by us." Councilor Tevos remarked.

"Indeed councilors." Mads said, and turned his attention to Tali. "Take it away Miss Zorah." Mads stepped aside and let Tali step forward. She seemed nervous in her body language, but that was justified considering she was standing before the very rulers of the galaxy.

She hit a few commands on her omni-tool, and in no time, the recording played over the speaker for the councilors to hear. They looked shocked as they heard the words spoken by their very precious Spectre. The needed a moment to chew on it.

"This evidence is, without a question, remarkable. This puts Saren as the guilty party. He will be stripped of his Spectre status and will be hunted. The same will go for Beniza, she will not be welcome in Asari space anymore." Tevos said.

"I'm more interested in these ' _reapers'._ How do they fit in?" The Salarian councilor asked.

"According to the data taken from the Geth Platform, they are supposed to be:-" Mads Looked down at his omni tool for the notes Tali had given. " _An ancient race of machines that were the key cause for wiping out the reapers_ "

"That is absurd! An ancient race of machines? Saren must be throwing out false information. There is no record of such race." The Turian councilor remarked.

"Well, I don't think we should rule anything out, not at this stage at least." Mads replied.

"Commander, please. We know that Saren is guilty, that we can see and that is where our focus should lie." Tevos added.

"That won't be enough! You need to send the fleet in!" Udina was really trying to push his luck and get some more support.

"A fleet won't get anything done in a manhunt! It is too costly!" The Salarian councilor fired back.

"It could secure the region and make it stable!" Udina explained.

"Or it could prompt a war with the Terminus system! Something we are not interested in." The Turian councilor replied with a harsh tone.

"Come on guys, I think there is another way to solve this problem..." Mads remarked. The councilors stared at Mads for a few moments, trying to decide what he was going on about.

"NO! It is too soon, humanity is not ready for it!" The Turian councilor suddenly bursted out saying.

"IT'S THE BEST DEAL!-" Mads yelled back. He took a moment to breathe and calm down. "-You don't risk a war with the lawless part of the galaxy, and humanity gets a bone." Mads explained.

"I would agree." The Asari councilor remarked. Mads was pleasantly surprised by the sudden agreeable nature of the councilor.

"You can't be serious!" The Turian councilor was baffled by the mere suggestion that they would hand over anything to the humans.

"Look, we both win. Commander Romanov has shown that he is capable to operate on his own, and clearly he is suited for the task." The Asari councilor replied a bit annoyed.

"Ugh! Fine!" The Turian councilor finally yielded. They held a vote to decide the matter formally. Within seconds, the results were in.

"Commander Romanov. It is the decision of this council that you be granted the rank of Spectre. This rank holds many responsibilities as well as privileges. Your mission is to hunt down Saren and Beniza and make them stand before justice. You will be given a ship by the Alliance to begin your mission, and Ambassador Udina will inform you of what we know so far. Is this clear?" The Asari councilor asked.

"Yes ma'am." Mads replied. "I am honored to be given this rank, and I will do my up most to ensure this mission is a success." Mads added.

"If that is settled, then we can move on. Make sure to get your briefing from Ambassador Udina. He and Captain Anderson should prepare a vessel for you, as well as a crew to help you. Any other questions should be directed towards him." The Salarian councilor said.

"Understood." Mads nodded.

"This meeting is officially over, and your mission begins now." The Turian councilor ended in a very annoyed and offended tone.

* * *

"Well, commander. That marks that." Captain Anderson remarked as he leaned against the railing overlooking the Normandy. Mads was trying his hardest to get his lighter to cooperate with him in an attempt to light a cigarette.

"I guess it does. We will see how much it will help. I have a feeling it may end up being more of a curse than a blessing." Mads replied as he finally got the zippo to work.

"This is a huge step up for humanity, Commander. I would take advantage it, and never forget that you are human, and you are still a part of the alliance." Udina added.

"Yeah yeah, I get it." Mads swiftly dismissed.

"Anderson and I have been making the paperwork, and we can confirm that the Normandy is now your ship." Udina said.

"Come again?" Mads asked confused. There was no way he heard that right.

"The Normandy is now under your command. The Alliance has promoted me, and has given the vessel to you. She is one of the few that can handle what you are going to do." Anderson clarified.

"You can't be serious." Mads replied.

"I am. Take her, she is your best bet for getting to Saren and getting a step ahead." Anderson added.

"I can't take it from you Anderson. She is your ship." Mads said.

"Well, you know her crew and you know her. I can't think of anyone else taking over. You will be fine, and I'll be here on the citadel if you need me. Good luck and Godspeed." Anderson concluded and padded Mads on the back.

"Fine, I'll take good care of her. But… I don't know where to start." Mads Admitted as he took another drag of his cigarette.

"There have been reports of Geth activity on Noveria. Our outpost on Feros hasn't reported back in an alarming time." Anderson advised.

"We have been able to track down the daughter of Beniza as well. She is on Therum. She might know something that could prove useful." Udina added.

Mads hummed as he thought about where to go first. "I'll give it some thought. Thank you." Mads declared as he finished the last bit of his cigarette and threw it on the ground only to put it out with the tip of his boot.

"It's your choice, commander. The crew will follow you where ever you want to go." Anderson reassured. Mads gave them both a nod and a handshake to finalize the deal. So, he would be the one to go after Saren after all.

* * *

Tali had only heard snippets of the conversation that was happening behind her. She was too busy looking at the vessel before her. It amazed her beyond belief. She had never seen anything so magnificent during her time in the migrant fleet. This was like a dream come true. Garrus had also joined in on the action and was giving his thoughts on the vessel, but Tali didn't listen. She was lost within her own thoughts. Wrex was there as well, Kaiden and Ashley had already headed into the vessel.

"Well, I guess I'm important all of a sudden." Mads joked as he appeared behind them.

"Don't let your ego get to your head." Garrus fired back with a cocky smile.

"You aren't one to talk-" Mads stopped himself before they would get into one of those joke wars. "-Anyhow, what are you guys doing now?" He Inquired.

"Desk duty for the rest of my life, probably." Garrus responded.

"Where ever I can continue my line of work." Wrex swiftly replied. Mads looked over at Tali, who seemed a bit nervous again.

"What about you Tali? Do you have to go back to your pilgrimage?" Mads asked.

"W-well, technically… Yeah..." She shifted on her feet.

"Well, I have a proposition for all of you. Since I am a Spectre, that means that the Normandy follows my command. I need specialists, and you guys seem to fit the bill. I can offer you work on the Normandy. It won't pay well, and it will be dangerous, but-" Mads was stopped before he could go any further.

"I'm in." Garrus replied. "-I've had it with the red tape. I'd rather see this case to an ending." He added.

"Sure thing." Mads welcomed Garrus.

"I'll join as well. It's been too long since I have seen some good action." Wrex remarked as he straightened himself out.

"You are of course welcome as well." Mads smiled. "And you Tali?"

"Our Pilgrimage demands that we give whatever we have. As a Quarian, what would it say about me if I pass this up? I would like to join as well." Tali said.

"There might be a light at the end of this tunnel, but only if you follow me." Mads said. "Go on, head inside and find out where you will best serve. We will discuss this further after takeoff." Mads ordered. They quickly bolted inside. Mads smiled as he saw them with big eyes, studying the every details of the Normandy as they went up the ramp.

Mads took the time to call up on the investment firm he ran beside his employment at the alliance. He had heard the name Fevos before, and he believed this could mark an opportunity. But, he settled on taking on the Asari doctor whose mother had joined the cult of Saren. If they would gain any leads, it would be from her.


	12. Chapter 11: Knowing the crew

Mads was casually whistling _amazing grace_ as he entered the airlock. He waited for the scan to be complete, and slowly tapped his foot impatiently on the metal floor as the synthetic voice informed him, that the current Captain now was onboard, and the XO stood relieved. It still hadn't sunk in, that he was now the captain. Although he didn't hold the rank officially, he did control an entire frigate. Which would fill out the criteria of being a captain.

The new members stood right in the CIC hallway, looking like lost puppies seeking purpose. They probably just wished for his blessing to go a post of their choice. It was quite weird being the person that should decide and organize something of this size. He had never really been given such an honor. The biggest crew he ever had run was about 52 soldiers.

"Commander." Garrus greeted.

"Garrus. I gather you want to know where you will be staying?" Mads asked, and they all nodded. "Well… Any wishes?" Mads asked further.

"I believe you have an armored vehicle and an armory. I would like to set up camp there." Garrus requested.

"Granted. Have a good one, but if the MAKO breaks down during a mission, it's your ass on the line." Mads replied.

"Aye-aye captain." Garrus said ironically in a way that made Mads want to punch him in the throat. But he let it slide… For now.

"And you Wrex?" Mads turned his attention to the big Krogan, that was already getting a far bit of attention from the crew working on the upper deck and the cockpit.

"I'll stick around in the loading bay, if you need an angry Krogan with a shotgun, you come knocking." He said with his deep voice.

"Well, help yourself." Mads gestured for the aisle leading down the CIC and to the lower deck. Wrex gave a final nod and set off with Garrus, not looking all that fond of the companionship he had been given.

"And what about you Tali?" Mads asked. She looked nervous, her hands were shaking and she was slightly shifting the balance between her feet.

"I was-… I was wondering if it was possible for me to… uhh… Begin in engineering? We Quarians are pretty good with ship maintenance and-… And-… And that sort of stuff." Her voice carried some uncertainty, probably due to a fear that her new superior officer saw Quarian like their public imagine. Like no good thieves, liars and everything else bad beneath the sun. But that wasn't the case.

"If you want to work in engineering, then I see no problem with it. Go down and speak with Chief Engineer Adams, he'll get you sorted right away." Mads gestures for her to walk the path down.

"Thank you." Tali replied in a relieved voice, her shoulders stopped being tense, and her entire body become relaxed.

"No worries. I'm sure you'll be of good use down there." Mads remarked with a smile, and Tali couldn't help but countering with a smile of her own. It was too bad he couldn't see it.

Joker was preparing the final checklist before takeoff, typing away endlessly at the console and terminals within his reach. Mads came up behind his seat, and watched for a moment. He was in charge now, and it gave him an odd feeling. He couldn't shake that he was at a crossroad. Somewhere, it felt right, it felt good, and then… There was the feeling of dread, dread that Anderson had been cut off, had been taken down because Humanity wanted their new spectre to have a shiny toy to show off.

"Well, it's a sad thing. The Captain survives a thousand battles, only to be taken down by back room politics." Joker remarked, somehow sensing Mads standing behind him.

"A sad thing indeed. He deserved better, and in some way, I wished it was him standing here… And not me." Mads replied.

"Not much you could have done about it. And for the record, I don't think there is anyone more suited to replace him than you, commander. You have survived so many things, and I think that under your leadership, there will still be hope." Joker confessed as he continued to type away at the terminal.

"That's mighty nice of you to say. I guess I need to address the crew as well, clear up what is going to happen." Mads said.

"That would probably be a good idea." Joker agreed. "Want to give it a shot now?" He asked.

"Sure, why not." Mads replied and readied himself. Better to let it flow from the heart, more sincere that way. Joker obliged and opened up the main comms channel for the entire vessel, no compartments left behind.

"Crew of the Normandy, this is Commander Romanov speaking. Some of you know me, some of you might not know me. With fast words and a quick sign of some papers, Captain Anderson is now promoted and will be stationed at the embassy here on the citadel. Under instructions from Alliance HQ, I am now currently in charge of the Normandy-" Mads took a second to breathe and calm himself a bit.

"-Not sure if anyone of you turned into the news within the last few hours, but I got a promotion me'self. I'm now officially a citadel Spectre, and the Normandy has been handed over to me for this purpose. That means that all of you are part of the Spectre crew, and I look forward to working with each and every one of you." Mads continued.

"That also means we have a purpose to fulfill. Saren Arterius is the main man we will be hunting. A former Turian Spectre, now turned outlaw. He attacked humanity, and he will feel the full fury of the alliance for his actions. Hunting him down will not be easy, in fact, it will be tough… Tougher than anything he have done before. But, this vessel is filled with brilliant minds, and strong people. If anyone has a shot to take down the fucker, it's going to be us. With our combined strength, intelligence, and strong will, we shall endure, and we shall win. For this, my brothers and sisters, you have my word. I will not stop until Saren is in handcuffs… Or a body bag. I will hunt him to the very edge of the galaxy, I shall fight him everywhere and at any time. For the Lord is my Shepard, as he will be yours. Thank you, and I look forward to serving with all of you." Mads finished, and he could already hear the thundering applause coming from the CIC and further down the ship. He smirked, feeling pleased with himself.

"Nice speech commander, did you practice it in front of the mirror this morning?" Joker asked.

"Very funny." Mads replied with his best you-won't-get-me voice, but the smile still creeped up on his face. He gave an order for Joker to fly them to Therum, where the Dr. Tsoni was hiding out, he had already cooked up an arrest warrant for her, considering she could be a dangerous foe with her mom pulling some nasty strings.

* * *

Tali had no issue finding herself at home within the drive core and engineering department of the Normandy. Chief Engineer Adams had welcomed her with open arms and had already given her several sets of assignments. She couldn't shake the odd feeling of serving on board an alien vessel. It was almost unheard of within the Quarian community, and especially one that is as top secret as the Normandy.

It was Adams that asked her to take a break, since she lost track of time. Truth be told, she wouldn't have minded stayed at that post until she passed out. Everything was new, and learned new engineering tasks and problem solving was her favorite pass time. Nothing that was handed to her was hard, she would figure out a way quickly, but she feared that asking for more serious work would shoot her down. The Normandy has to protect its secrets… Right?

She isn't really tired as she sits down in the mess. Its pass normal supper time, and there are only two or three crewmen currently present. The food isn't all that greater either, it's Turian MREs, so she resorts to her own stash of food so kindly provided to her to by her father before she took off on the grand adventure.

The thought about the exceptions of her father lingers in her mind. She had gotten extra training, and had been given better equipment that most Quarians. But, being an Admiral's daughter also meant that a lot was expected from her. She had to bring back something worthwhile. She became nervous as she failed to think of anything good to bring back. She simply couldn't let her father down. It was too much of a burden to think about what would happen otherwise.

So, she decided to distract herself. She was curious about her savior, the dashing commander that had come to her rescue within the dangerous wards of the citadel. She would be lying if she said she didn't find him a bit attractive. She couldn't place her feelings at this point, and so she decided to bury them. But still, she wanted to know more about him.

The extranet is great in every sense of the word. So much information at the press of a button. Though, even with the great knowledge that the extranet could provide, information on the commander was very limited. There were a few articles, one about actions on Elysium, for which he is considered a hero of the alliance, and one very recent about his admission into the spectres. Both highly praising of him. There was no concrete information on his age, origin or anything else of the sort. She was a bit confused about this. Very few people could keep their identity hidden so well. She searched on, and was genuinely interested in knowing more, but that would probably mean asking the man himself.

* * *

Anderson's former office, also known as the Captain's quarters wasn't half bad. Compared to the sleeping pods assigned to normal crew members, it was heaven. Mads placed down his small wooden crate of personal belongings on the table in the middle of the room. He still had trouble realizing that he controlled the vessel now, and this was one of the privileges that came with it.

Mads dug in to the crate to find what he had brought with him on this journey. There was the usual two bottles of liquor, mostly to help him sleep at night. There was a photo album that he was given by the current living Romanovs, an object he held dear to his heart. The framed photo of him, his parents and his siblings. Taken right after the 75th annual victory march in Moscow. It would sit nicely on his desk.

Finally, he dug up the bible. A younger version of himself would have slapped him across the room for spending his evenings drinking and dwelling in to a book of which he used to discard, but now he believed in. But, after nothing made sense in the current world, he had resorted to faith to carry him… Well, faith and a bottle of Vodka. He wasn't a perfect man.

His reading would vary between the bible and the codex of the galaxy. Sometimes, it felt like every stereotype fitting him so perfectly, haunting him to no end. Still, he placed the ashtray on the desk, placed the framed photo in view, poured a glass of vodka, and then slowly opened the bible to read on. He liked it, it was peaceful for him. No doubt the other crew members wouldn't approve.

Hours passed as he read, drank and smoked. With each pour, the photo became more and more judgmental. With each turn of pages, came another revelation about himself and how much of a fuck up he is. He can't escape the voices that plague him deep in to the night. The voices that he can sometimes put a face on, and sometimes he can't. They judge him. They make him border the line between sane and insane.

"What the FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Mads yells at the picture of his family. They just smile back at him.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?" He asks, still no answer. Just… Haunting silence, the worst treatment.

"What could I have done?" He voice lowers as his rage leaves his body, and it is in that moment, they return.

 _You could have done better. You could have survived, you could have endured. But, instead you let down everybody._

 _What about us, huh? You always think of yourself. You are greedy._

Mads is on the verge of ripping his hair out. His head hurts, and feels like it will go boom at any second. He breathes, in through his nose, and out through his mouth. A trick he was taught in the army to calm himself. With extra oxygen traveling to his brain, the voices slowly fade out. But, the exhaustment takes a toll. He slowly slides down the side of his bed frame. He sits there, a pathetic mess on the ground.

"What could I have done?" He sobs as he repeats the question over and over again. Eventually, sleep claims him, but it is not freedom, it is simply other outlet for the demons, It's just one where he has even less power.

He woke up the following morning, probably way past alliance allowance, but he was a spectre now, after all. His service magnum was still clutched in his hand, it was a thing he couldn't sleep without. He would feel paranoid if his weapon wasn't within an arm's reach. Considering he was up, and had no intention of going back to sleep any time soon, he settled on a morning workout.

With that sorted, he took a hot shower. Absolute bliss considering the alliance couldn't always ensure that on some vessels. As he stepped out of the shower, he spend the next couple of minutes shaving what little had grown since the last time he shaved. He slowly got dressed after that, tugged his feet in the boots and buckled the belt on, for adjusted the holster so it sat perfectly. He then called for an officer meeting, mostly to get a feeling for what the status was on the ship at the moment.

* * *

 **A few hours later**

Tali was back at work. The work was still easy, since it was mostly maintenance, and she had learned all about that on the migrant fleet. Since the work didn't prove a challenge, she let her thoughts dwell on other issue, like her own pilgrimage. She was lining out what could be acceptable to bring back to the fleet.

With her mind running down this rabbit hole, she became unaware of her surroundings. Sure, she did her work wonderfully as she thought about the pilgrimage, but she failed to hear the otherwise distinct sound of hobnails on metal ground. It was only the light tapping on her shoulder that forced her back in to reality. She swung around, and was quite alarmed at what she saw.

It was the commander, and she immediately tensed up. Bad thoughts rushed in to her mind at an alarming speed. Has she done something wrong? It wasn't normal that a commander would come down to engineering, since he had a whole ship to run.

"Oh, commander… erh… Didn't see you there." She greeted weakly. Her body was nervous, and while she tried to hide it, it did show in her gestures.

"That much is clear" Mads laughed.

"How can I… erh… Help you?" She asked, she calmed a bit down since his tone seemed friendly.

"Well, I'm checking up on the newest crew members to see how they are settling in. There are a few things I want to run by you, however." Mads requested as he shifted his weight from one of his feet to the other.

"Okay, I'm listening." Tali replied.

"I want to apologize ahead of time for the lack of Quarian rations upon the Normandy. I'm afraid we were ill-prepared for the alien team members we brought on. We do have some Turian rations, but that's all." Mads explained.

"That's alright, I have enough food to last me the next month." Tali reassured him.

"That's good, but we can get some Quarian food next time we hit civilization. But, there is another matter. We had an officer meeting this morning-" Tali tensed up. She was now certain she had screwed up and Adams had complained to him.

"Adams had nothing but positive things to say about your first day. He considers you a valuable asset and your thirst for knowledge and learning will get you far. Do keep it up." Mads congratulated her and padded her on the shoulder. She smiled in relief behind her helmet.

"Thank you." She replied.

"No thank you needed. Keep up the good work. I have to check in with the other crew members." Mads smiled as turned around to leave. Tali watched him every step of the way out of the engineering department.

* * *

"So, Officer Vakerian. Got anything interesting to say?" Mads asked as he leaned against the Mako. He was doing some work on the nearby terminal.

"Commander." Garrus greeted, never taking his eyes of the terminal. "I do believe this vessel is quite a thing to behold. It surely beats desk duty for the rest of my life." Garrus joked.

"You happy with your retirement from C-sec?" Mads inquired.

"Sure am. Couldn't get anything done in c-sec, too much red tape to get anywhere. The bureaucracy is astounding. The fact they managed arrest anyone at all is quite a feat." Garrus replied as he took a wrench from the tool box, and got down on one knee to have a look on the wheels.

"Alliance is the same way. That's the issue when dealing with Terrorists." Mads remarked.

"How come?" Garrus asked.

"We have rules, they don't." Mads swiftly answered.

"Well said. I do believe we will get along." Garrus smiled.

"So long you don't mess up the Mako." Mads teased.

"It will work far better when I'm done. We Turians understand military machinery better than the humans." Garrus fired back.

"No, they do not." Mads stated. Garrus smiled.

"Your pride comes in the way of seeing the truth." Garrus said.

"And alliance regulations comes in the way of losing all of your teeth." Mads joked. Garrus laughed. "I'll see you around Garrus." Mads said as a final note, and Garrus just waved him off.

Mads spoke with Wrex next. They discussed his motivation for coming along, and they ended up chatting about the Krogans as a whole, where Wrex had some strong opinions about his own race. But he could understand that some bitterness lingered beneath the surface. He wouldn't press him for answers, mostly because he didn't want to piss off a Krogan in a tight space like this.

Next up, he talked with Ashley. He was surprised to find she was religious like him. He wouldn't fully admit his devotion, but it did spawn an interesting conversation. She was tough as hell, a soldier through and through. There was a reason she didn't die on that colony, she was simply to stubborn to die. It is a good trait, especially for a soldier.

He could feel that the crew he had assembled was going to serve him well in the battles to come. He had no doubts that if they all pitched in, they might just get this done. Saren was going to feel the blade of righteousness one way or another.


	13. Chapter 12: Therum

**23/4 2183**

The annoying tone of Mads' omni tool woke him up. He had sworn to himself ever since he got it, that he wanted to change the beeping sound, but technology had moved so rapidly in the time he had been gone, that he often found it difficult to master. He remembered how his seniors struggled with technology in his time, how they had troubles with creating an e-mail, or not falling for a Nigerian Prince offering them money.

He hit the answer button, the option without a hologram appearing. He couldn't really afford to be seen like a mess in this time and age. At least it was a familiar voice that came from the omni-tool. He had come to know him as some sort of brother. Harold Romanov was the current head of the Romanov family. He was pushing his 50'ties, but he was a good man. But, he was the type to work too much, which of course effected his relationship with his son, Joseph.

"Morning Romanov." Harold greeted.

"Morning." Mads replied in his usual hoarse morning voice.

"I see I have woken you up. You do realize that the omni-tool hold the function of setting an alarm, don't you?" Harold asked in a joking manner.

"I'm a busy man. I deserve some sleep." Man replied with a cough.

"That you are. I heard the news: The first human spectre? That's an achievement, and it's an honor for the house of Romanov." Harold remarked.

"Yeah, though I don't think it will be a walk in the park." Mads said while stretching out.

"Being a Spectre is not a cake walk. What's your assignment?" Harold asked.

"Technically that's classified, but the council can kiss my ass. We are hunting down a fella named Saren." Mads explained.

"Saren? That Turian Spectre?" Harold asked curiously.

"Bingo… You know him?" Mads asked back.

"No, but I have heard about him. Apparently he's a resourceful fucker. Has he gone rouge?"

"It's worse than that. He is leading an army of Geth."

"Really? Well shit."

"Yeah, he is the mastermind behind the attack on Eden Prime. Now it's a matter of finding the Turian prick, which is close to locating a needle in a haystack."

"You got any leads?"

"Yeah. Though I'm gonna keep that information restricted to as few people as possible."

"Fair enough."

"How is Joseph doing? And are you still in on that god forsaken project?" Mads had been rather frustrated after since Harold had told him about it. The project was about colonizing a whole other galaxy. He found idea stupid and wanted to hit Harold over the head for even joining the thing.

"Joseph is doing well, but I still have trouble reaching him. He has signed on for Andromeda Initiative though. Are you sure you don't want to come with us? It will be a new start." Harold had pleaded with Mads ever since he first told him about it. That was 5 years ago… Or there about. Mads had refused, though he was a man that had very few things to lose, he still felt a special connection to this galaxy, to Earth, to Russia. All these things were his home, and he would be damned if he turned his back on it to run.

"I'll stay here. Plenty of things that need solving." Mads replied.

"Not everything can be resolved with a bullet, Mads." Harold advised.

"Yeah, I know. Someone needs to stay here. Someone needs to hold their hand over the throne. There is a fair share of people who wants to try the crown on for size." Mads fired back.

"There will always be those types."

"By that saying, Andromeda will be no different. I rather stay where I know which way the wind is blowing, and what color the grass is."

"A conservative through and through."

"Yeah, I guess I'm guilty..." Mads sighed. "Anyhow, I gotta get going. I got a ship to run."

"A ship to run? You mean to tell me-"

"Yeah, they gave me command of the Normandy. It's still a top-secret ship, but it's really an ace in the hole in this fight."

"Did they promote you to Captain as well?"

"No, still Commander. Though, unofficially, I'm the captain."

"I guess that's a comfort."

"Yeah, but I'll be seeing you." Mads said.

"Sure thing." Harold replied, and closed to the call. Mads took a big breath as he rubbed his temples.

* * *

 **A few hours later**

 **The cargo hold, SSV Normandy.**

"Five… Six" Mads counted as he put the last bullet in the chamber of his 44. Magnum. He gave the chamber a good spin and placed the Magnum in his holster. He looked up to see his new team standing ready. He wanted to give the aliens a trial run, since they all had potential.

"Alright fellas." Mads yelled, instantly getting their attention. "Our target today is Dr. Liara T'Soni. Daughter of Benezia T'Soni. Since her mother is wrapped up tight with Saren, there is a possibility that Dr. T'Soni is as well. Our main objective to apprehend her and bring her on board for questioning." Mads explained as they all looked on. "Is that understood?" He asked.

"Yes sir." They all replied in union.

"I'm taking a chance on our new crew members. Kaiden and Ashley, please welcome onboard Garrus, Wrex and Tali. All of them are new, but they have experience, or at the very least training. When we are there, you follow my orders as closely as you can. If you do, we might just be successful. Any questions?"

"Are we expecting any hostiles?" Ashley asked.

"There might be Geth stationed there to protect Dr. T'Soni. According to the file on her, she specializes in Prothean research. Whatever her purpose is on Therum, I would suspect that it has something to do with Saren's mission. Be alert, and stay in the bloody MAKO, and we should be fine." Mads replied.

"Any other questions?" Mads asked. No one spoke up, so Mads assumed all was understood.

"5 minutes to Therum, Commander." Joker informed them over the comms.

"Saddle up fellas. Garrus, I want you on the main gun, Tali, you take the engineering seat. The rest of you can sit in the back, while I drive." Mads ordered as he began to climb in.

"Not sure I trust you to drive, Romanov." Garrus joked as he climbed in after Mads.

"I should cane you for that… I really should. But you know what? I'll dock your wages instead" Mads replied jokingly.

"What, I get paid for this?"

"Not anymore" They both laughed as they settled in their seats. Wrex had a little trouble getting in, but he managed in the end. Mads lightly tapped the wheel as he waited for all of them to buckle down. Tali was looking through the control, mapping them out and learning their functions.

Mads hadn't driven the MAKO in quite some time, so he was trying to remember it. Luckily, the MAKO worked very similar to the old military vehicles he used to drive back in the day. He looked around to see most of them ready, and he was eager to see their reaction to what would come next.

"Wait a minute, how do we deploy this thing?" Garrus asked from his position at the gunner's nest.

"Oh, you'll see shortly." Mads replied, keeping it vague.

"30 seconds, I'll open the cargo door now. Have a fun trip, and bring back a souvenir, will ya?" Joker informed them.

"Wait a minute, there is no wait we can land in just 30 seconds." Tali remarked as she read the information the MAKO was feeding her.

"You're gonna like this." Mads smiled as he eagerly waited for the doors to open. As soon as they did, he hit the accelerator. The MAKO drove the small distance from its place in the cargo hold, to the Normandy's cargo door leading down to a nasty fall. Mads had tried the ordeal a few times, and he was looking forward to seeing their reactions.

"Wait NO!" Tali screamed as the MAKO drove over the ramp and fell into free fall. It was a glorious twelve seconds of pure laughter from Mads as he heard the screams and yelling from his crew mates. The only one remaining calm was Wrex, but he was a Krogan, so it wasn't fair to compare. They landed safely with the features the MAKO held, which were plentiful.

Mads had never seen anyone open a hatch quicker than Kaiden after that ride. He nearly jumped out for the love of his life to vomit his entire lunch up. Ashley went out to check on him, and Garrus seemed awfully quiet. Tali was quiet for a second or so as well, before she turned around, and landed a big punch on his right arm.

"You Bosh'tet! What the hell was that?" She asked. It was clear adrenaline was still in her blood, because the breaths she took were enormous.

"Being unprepared helped you guys not being dismissive of our approach, and this is the greatest laugh I'd had in a long time." Mads had trouble keeping the chuckle from entering his voice.

"Spirits! I thought I was a goner!" Garrus finally remarked, trying to catch his breath after the screaming. Mads poked his head of the hatch to see Kaiden still bend over, emptying his guts out on the hard rock below.

"You okay, lieutenant?" Mads asked with a grin. He spit out on the floor, then held his hand up, showing five fingers.

"Five minutes." Kaiden's voice was meek. Mads chuckled as he crawled back into his seat. It was clear they were quite cross with him at the moment, and he understood why. He sighed as he waited for Kaiden to regain his balance, and for the others to calm down a bit.

"Come on, it wasn't _that_ bad." Mads remarked. Tali had crossed her arms and refused to look at him but Mads peaked around. "I know you are smiling behind that visor, Tali." It was more of a lucky guess, because she was. Romanov had that ability, to do a major fuck up and make people forget with just a few words.

"You finished out there, lieutenant?" Mads asked in a yell. He heard a grunt of confirmation as Kaiden settled back into his seat. "Then let's get on with the mission at hand, shall we?"

"Just drive before there will be a collective murder on you." Kaiden replied in his weak voice. Mads just laughed as he sent off. He quickly noticed that this place was, in fact, quite hot. Therum was known for its heat, mining and apparently Prothean ruins. Mads had peaked over at Tali's console, and was shocked at just how hot it was. He was forever grateful for the Alliance for having Air conditioning in their MAKOs.

Joker's voice suddenly came in over the comms in the MAKO. "Commander, we are picking up several hostiles in the area. I figure it's your welcome party"

"Thanks Joker, I'm sure Garrus will show them our gratitude." Mads replied.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the first Geth creatures showed up. These were not the regular troopers, but rather four legged beasts, which were capable of dealing damage beyond the small arms of their brethren. Garrus was as much of a marksman with the canon on the Mako as he was with a sniper rifle… At least if you would believe his record file. Tali fed Mads with whatever updates there were. She was doing an excellent job and Mads was beginning to see why Quarians had a good track record for being capable engineers.

* * *

"If this major Geth presence isn't damning enough, then I don't know what is. I wonder what they are looking for." Mads thought out loud.

"They are probably here to protect that Asari." Ashley replied. Mads was noticing Ashley had a distaste for the Aliens. He caught her looking either angry or dirty at Tali, Wrex and Garrus. Kaiden mostly kept himself quiet.

"Maybe, either way, Dr. T'Soni has a few things to answer for when we get there. I hope to arrest her, so please, keep your finger _off_ the trigger. Understood?" Mads asked as he looked at Garrus and Wrex.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Garrus asked in a joking offended voice.

"Because I know you like to deal justice by yourself. I need information, not a body." Mads clarified, still giving him a smile. Garrus just gave a grunt of acknowledgment. They had taken down at least a dozen of those Geth _Armatures_ as they were called, Tali had been nice enough to correct Mads on that. The Mako had taken a few hits, but nothing they couldn't repair. Now, they were faced with solid rock formations, which was too much of a challenge for even the Mako.

"Alright fellas. From here, it's on foot. Keep formation and keep alert." Mads ordered as he crawled out of the Mako, rifle in hand. They all got out, one by one, and established a perimeter around the Mako. There were no Geth in sight… Yet. They moved out, slowly, one step at a time. There was no need to risk themselves here. They went through a small valley, cuts out between the rock formations.

"Stay sharp people. This is the perfect place for an ambush." Mads advised as they moved along, keeping their eyes and ears trained in all directions. "Jesus fucking Christ, this heat is unbearable." Mads remarked, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"It's not meant for any living beings. Hostile environment is the biggest killer." Kaiden replied.

"Yeah… God, I miss St. Petersburg." Mads muttered to himself.

"What was that, commander?" Ashley asked.

"Oh, nothing… Erh… Garrus, try and gain some high ground and get a vantage over the place. Put the sniper to good use." Mads ordered.

"Yes sir." Garrus said in a mocking voice as he began to climb the rocks to get up. They continued along the path carved out for them, wondering when the Geth might show up.

"This doctor better be fucking worth it." Wrex snarled.

"Agreed." Mads said. They began to emerge from the rock path and saw what looked like civilization. "Garrus, I see some sort of mining facility up ahead, can you confirm your visual? over" Mads asked in to his ear piece.

"Copy, I see it. There is a path leading into the mines. I assume this is the stairway to the Prothean ruins? Over." Garrus answered.

"Affirmative. Do you see any hostiles? Over."

"Negative. Over."

Mads raised his rifle none-the-less. There was bound to be something hiding there, just waiting to jump out and take the shot. Mads was glad he had a person like Garrus with him, who could lay down covering fire with a sniper, or take out the enemies while they were focused on the main group.

They were approaching the mining site faster, but stopped dead with a single hand gesture from Mads: _Don't fucking move_

"What is it?" Ashley asked concerned.

"Listen." Mads ordered. They all did so, and heard the faintest noise of a ship coming in hot. Mads pointed to cover, and quickly jumped down as the ship flew in. "GARRUS! GIVE ME A STATUS RIGHT NOW!" Mads demanded as he checked that all 4 other members were behind cover. A loud bang was heard, and the mechanical sounds of movement that only a Geth creation could make.

"Shit, they just dropped in a big boy. Seems to be a tough one. I see troopers as well." Garrus informed them, and he waited for them to open fire. If Garrus shot first, then there was a big chance the Geth could pin point him.

"Alright boys, open fire!" Mads yelled. Mads peaked his head over gun and let the rifle roar as it shot like fury of hell. Wrex got up and charged straight in after the lonesome Geth standing on the sideline. Mads focused fire on the big creature, while Ashley and Kaiden helped Wrex clean up everything else. Garrus also laid down fire, but their bullets did little to even dent the armor on the thing.

"Fuck! The shields are too powerful!" Mads remarked as he let his rifle cool down. "We need another approach! Or we'll be toast!" Suddenly, Tali had an idea. She put her shotgun away for a moment and began to type away at her omni-tool. She knew what she was trying was possible, she just hoped it would be in time. They continued the fight, Mads had no time to pay attention to what Tali was attempting. He hadn't even noticed she stopped firing at the Geth creature.

"Yes!" Tali exclaimed as she finished the hack on her omni-tool. "Its shield is down!" She yelled.

"Great work! Focus fire!" Mads ordered as they all began laying down hell on the big creature. The creature didn't last long from the combined fire. It yielded in no time at all. Mads laughed as the thing fell, almost rocking the earth as the heavy weight collided with the hard rock below it.

"Nice work Tali! You probably saved all of us." Mads remarked as he gave her a pad on the back.

"Oh, it was nothing. I'm sure you would have taken it down eventually." Tali replied, with a slight blush on her cheeks. This was one of the few times she was glad the mask hid her face. She liked getting compliments. They were few and far between with her own father, the man who she tried to impress all the time.

"I appreciate the faith you have in me Tali, but I think it's safe to say you saved the day here. We probably won't have lasted much longer if that things fired up its main guns. Remind me to pay you a bonus." Mads remarked.

"What? No bonus for me?" Garrus asked as he came down from the high ground of which he had been standing on.

"You hurt my feelings Garrus, that's a serious offense nowadays." Mads joked as he gave Garrus a slap on the back.

"Thanks, Commander." Tali said, but it wasn't much louder than a whisper.

"Hey, you keep it up, and you'll be the best here." Mads smiled. "Come on, let's go find the good doctor." Mads ordered as he pointed to the mine entrance.

* * *

"I've got to admit, I don't really trust that elevator." Garrus remarked as he looked down the elevator shaft.

"Let's hope it's built to last. Come on, we can't stall this any longer." Mads remarked as he waited for the elevator to come up. They all entered the elevator, and was quite alarmed at the noises of protest the elevator made to the combined weight of them all.

"Okay, that doesn't sound good" Ashley observed.

Mads pushed the button to go down, and slowly it did so. Not without its creaking noises. The whole place looked ancient; in fact, the Prothean ruins looked more modern than the tech this mining company was using. It stopped, probably a feet short of the level they were supposed to get on off.

"Wait a minute, is that safe?" Kaiden asked.

"You got fucking feet, right lieutenant?" Mads asked back.

"Yeah?"

"Then fucking jump." Mads said as he took the first jump down. They all did, the elevator sounded worse with each departure. Only Tali and Wrex was left in the end, and the elevator really didn't like Wrex moving about. As soon as Wrex jumped off, it was the end of the elevator. The capable snapped.

Mads usually operated on pure instinct. That's what got him so far, so when he heard the noises, he jumped, landed on his stomach (Which knocked the wind right out of his lungs) and took hold of Tali's wrist just as she screamed in pure terror at the prospect of dying. He held on tight, and he could feel Wrex keeping a tight grip on his boots. Slowly, they pulled Tali up. Mads could feel how tense she was.

"Are you alright?" Mads asked concerned. That was a traumatic event is there ever was one. "Do you need a minute?"

"No! I'm… I'm fine!" She was focused on not appearing weak in front of the Commander. Not after all the respect he had given her within their short time together.

"Okay." Mads nodded. Just then, Mads heard the faintest noise coming from down below them. It was a female voice, and it sounded like she was calling for help. Mads gestured for them to move down. They did so, slowly. They were not in the mood for any more surprises.

He saw an Asari, hanging the air behind some sort of shield... or barrier. She was dressed in a lab outfit, so Mads assumed this was the one. "Hello? Thank Goddess! Someone came!" Liara was relieved in that moment, seeing actual living beings.

"Woah, is that Prothean tech?" Mads asked. Liara looked confused at him. "Right… Dr. T'Soni I presume?" Mads asked.

"Yes… That's me."

"Well Doc. I'm Mads Romanov, I'm a citadel Spec-… I'm a commander with the alliance navy, and I would sure like to ask you a few questions, but first, how the hell do we get you out of there?"

"Well, I was looking through the Prothean technology, and I must have accidentally turned on the switch for this field. I have been stuck for quite a while. I believe there is a control panel… But-"

"But what?"

"It's behind me, and I'm not sure how you can get to it."

"Not to worry, Dr. T'Soni. As a Russian, I'm quite resourceful." Mads smiled as he took a quick look around. Liara (And the rest of the crew for that matter) looked at him confused but Mads just pretended to not see it. "We're going to look for a way in, you just sit tight." Mads made a small chuckle sound. "Not that you can do much else." He chuckled as he began to descend down.

* * *

There was a couple of Geth hiding out on the lower parts of the mine, but they were no match for the team. Mads was looking around for a secret door of some kind, the rest were also looking for possible ways in. That's when Mads noticed the giant laser facing the lower part of the Prothean ruin.

"Tali?" Mads summoned her. She came quickly.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Do you think you can turn on this laser? I think we can use it to cut a path through that part down there." Mads theorized as he pointed to the rocks in the lower part.

"I can try." Tali replied as she began to work on the laser. Mads hadn't even turned around before the Laser shot it's beam through the lower part, creating the hole for them to enter. He had expected it took at least a few minutes, but Tali must have done it in 15 seconds.

"Jesus! That was quick!" Mads laughed.

"It only had minor security features on it. It wasn't hard to hack." Tali explained.

"I'm so glad we have you here. If I had done, it would probably have taken ages!" Mads laughed as he began to make his way down. "Once again, Mrs. Zorah saves the day!" Tali once again blushed. She was being showered in compliments, for what she considered minor things, and she loved every second of it, even though her Quarian background told her to be modest, and not take pride in it.

They all went on the lift, and quickly reached the position of Dr. T'Soni, who was still very much hanging in midair. It didn't look comfortable in the slightest, and he was pretty sure she wouldn't like what came next. Mads hit the switch and watched Liara fall to the floor.

"Thank you! I have been stuck for ages, now, what did you want to ask me abou-" She was cut off mid-sentence by Mads forcing her to her knees and handcuffed her.

"Dr. T'Soni, the clock is 4:53 am, and you are being placed under arrest under the suspicion of colliding with a known terrorist and outlaw." Mads explained as he placed her in handcuffs.

"What? What's the meaning of this!" Liara was visibly confused, which made Mads think.

"Your mother, Benezia T'Soni, is currently helping a known rouge Spectre by the name of Saren. I will now bring you on the SSV Normandy for formal questioning." Mads informed her. Liara was processing what she was being told and was really confused.

Mads brought her back on her legs and gestured for them to move out. They went back to the lift, which would lead them to the surface. Mads hit the button and waited patiently with a hand on Liara's shoulder as the lift slowly went up.

"Saren probably sent the Geth here to collect me! I had nothing to do with any of this! There was a Krogan here earlier, who wanted to take me away!" Liara proclaimed.

"Please, Doctor. I would advise you to be quiet." Mads suggested. But, Liara was telling the truth. As soon as they hit the top floor, there was a Krogan waiting for them.

"Thank you, you saved me the trouble of getting her out myself. Now, hand her over." The Krogan demanded.

"No chance, step back." Mads ordered. The Krogan laughed.

"I like your attitude human. Too bad I must kill you." The Krogan then pulled out his shotgun and began to open fire. Mads threw Liara behind them, and quickly pulled out his magnum. He took aim, and fired three shots at the Krogan, all were hits. This only served to piss off the Krogan warlord even more, as he began to charge after Mads. Mads managed to dodge him in the nick of time, and fired two shots, each hitting the kneecap of the Krogan. The Krogan buckled under its own weight, Mads finished him with a single shot to the head, only it didn't kill him.

Krogans were known for their regeneration powers, but that wouldn't matter as Mads felt the cave began to shake violently. So, he decided to tail it out of there, and in turn, he denied the Krogan the honorable thing, to be killed in battle. The Krogan cursed Mads to hell as they all left.

The Normandy was waiting for them, and they couldn't get off the planet soon enough. Luckily, the crew of the Normandy had already retrieved the Mako, which saved them the headache.

Mads placed Liara in the room behind Dr. Chakwas' med bay and began to plan how he would question her. There was a lot to cover. But, they had completed their first mission, which was a stunning success… Sort of, now he had to report it to the council, which he really didn't want to do. They would find something he did wrong and lecture him on it from their high horse.


	14. Chapter 13: Thresher maw

**24/4 2183**

 **Comm's room, SSV Normandy.**

"Alright fellas, go on and get the fuck out of here. I have to make a call to the council." Mads remarked as he stood up from his chair. They had just finished discussing what had happened on Therum, and he had assured them that he would question Dr. T'Soni. He had a hunch feeling that she may be innocent, based on her reaction and how they found her. But nothing could be ruled out.

"Don't get your tongue too brown now." Garrus joked as he arose from his seat.

"Very funny, Vakerian. Take a fucking hike." Mads pointed to the door, but he couldn't keep a grin off his face. They all left, one by one. Mads had to admit he hated the council, he thought of them as self-righteous dickheads. Too concerned with a peace that would never hold. Still, he had agreed to give reports whenever he broke something in the case, and it was safe to say the capture of T'Soni was something to talk about.

"Joker, patch me through to the dipshits at the citadel." Mads ordered as he rubbed his temples.

"Sure thing, remember to smile." Joker replied. A second or so later, they appeared as holograms. Mads let out a huge sigh.

"Councilors." Mads greeted.

"Romanov, what's your status?" Tevos asked.

"I arrested Dr. T'Soni yesterday on Therum. I am currently holding her on the Normandy, and I expect to question her after this meeting. I will then decide what to do next." Mads explained as he paced around a little.

"Nice work commander. Do you have reason to believe she has ties to Saren?" The Salarian councilor asked.

"Yes, her mother has been proven to be in alliance with Saren, and Therum was crawling with Geth. But, I can't say for sure right now if she is aligned with Saren." Mads replied.

"Understood commander. Please report back with your findings to us. What will you do next?" The Salarian councilor continued.

"Most likely Feros, it depends if something comes up before it." Mads clarified.

"Commander, I don't approve of your tactics. According to the reports from the mining company, you completely ruined the mines and the Prothean ruins." The Turian councilor always seemed to have something against Mads.

"I do what needs to be done, councilor. Can you say the same?" Mads asked, and he could see the facial expression of the councilor change to pure anger. But he stayed his blade.

"I will report back when something noteworthy happens." Mads promised, and promptly closed the call.

"Damn! That was ice cold commander!" Joker remarked over the comms.

"Someone has to hand their ass to them. Might as well be me." Mads commented. "… Now, I guess it is time to pay the doctor a visit."

* * *

"Doctor Chakwas." Mads greeted as he entered the medbay. "Kaminski, you look better." The field medic looked pristine. He hardly had a scar on his neck anymore.

"Thanks, Chakwas cleaned it up for me. I'm cleared for field duty, if you want to bring me along." Kaminski put down his data pad.

"Might come in useful later." Mads remarked.

"What with the liquor?" Kaminski asked, referring to the bottle of vodka in Mads' hand. The other hand held two glasses.

"Figured that dropping such a heavy load might give her a thirst. It's compassion to offer a drink." Mads explained.

"I see, well… I don't see the Asari as a drinker. She actually seems like a kid almost. Most Asari her age are out dancing on Omega or something." Kaminski said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Asari Maidens use their young years to do different things." Chakwas remarked from her position at the terminal.

"Anyway, she might be in bed with the whole organization, or she may not be. That's what I'm gonna find out." Mads said as he began to move for the back room.

"Good luck, commander. By the way, doesn't it ever get annoying or hot to wear those gloves all the time? Why do you even wear them?" Kaminski was a nosy one apparently. The question just flew out of him like it was nothing.

"I wear what I wear for personal reasons. You got that, you polish prick?" Mads didn't mean to be rude, but when he got angry, he always did end up saying stuff he would regret.

"Yeah, whatever, you Russian douche bag." Kaminski played it off as a joke, and that suited Mads just fine.

Mads knocked on the door to the room contained Dr. T'Soni. A faint ' _come in_ ' could be heard on the other side. And Mads unlocked the door. There was a table in the middle of the room, with a dimmed light over it. T'Soni was sitting at one end of the table. Her hands seemed to be in her lap. Mads went over the table and placed the glasses and the bottle of Vodka on the table, before putting an ashtray on the table as well.

Mads sat down in the chair and pulled out his data pad. He looked from the data pad onto Liara and back again several times. Then he wrote a few things down. He let out a sigh, and then pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He placed one in his mouth and held the pack out to Liara. "Smoke?"

She shook her head. Mads just continued with giving flame to his cigarette, and took a drag of it. He exhaled the smoke and poured some Vodka into his glass. "You want a drink?" He asked as he looked at her.

"I-... I don't drink" She replied nervously. Mads nodded, and drank the contents of his glass.

"Dr. Liara T'Soni. Born on Thessia in 2077, only child of Matriarch Benezia, father is not mentioned. Graduated from the university of Thessia with a degree in archaeology, has written several reports for the university about Prothean ruins." Mads read the list out loud. "Is this correct?" Mads asked. She nodded.

"Listen here, doctor. You are placed under arrest for the suspicion of collaborating with your mother to help the outlaw known as Saren Arterius. What do you say in your defense?" Mads asked as he took another drag of his cigarette.

"I have no idea what you are talking about commander. And you have no right to hold me here!" Liara bursted out saying.

"It's not just commander. I'm a Spectre for the citadel as well. I have the power to keep you here as long as I see fit." Mads explained.

"Wait? There is a human Spectre?" Liara had never heard about that.

"How long were you down in that mine?" Mads asked as he leaned forward.

"Oh goddess, at least 3 days before you arrived. I was doing research on the ruins, when the Geth showed up. Their leader, that Krogan, wanted to take me in. He said that Saren wanted me. I activated the field to keep them out… Only it kept me locked in place as well." She explained. Mads looked her deep in the eye, and he could see that she was telling the truth.

"When was the last time you spoke with your mother, doctor T'Soni?" Mads then asked, as he took another puff of the cigarette.

"A few years ago at least, she-… She did not approve of my direction in life. She wanted me sit at the high table, where as I wanted to study and learn the Protheans…" Liara confessed. "Commander..."

"Romanov."

"Commander Romanov… If you don't mind me asking, what is going on?" It sealed the deal. Liara had no clue about what was going on. Mads began to tell her. He spent several minutes telling her what had happened, starting from Eden Prime. Liara ate it all up, and was amazed by the mere mention of the Prothean beacon.

"That's amazing Commander! Do you realize how rare it is to find a working beacon nowadays?" Liara asked, full of excitement.

"No, I don't have a fancy degree in archaeology. But I do know it is Prothean technology, and that Saren is interesting in it. That puts it on my map." Mads replied and took another sip of his drink that he just poured.

"It's amazing that it didn't fry your mind commander. Prothean technology is very unstable. You must have a strong mind." Well, there was a back handed compliment is there ever was one.

"Thanks Doctor… I guess?" Mads was a bit unsure on how to proceed. "That brings me to the next subject, what are your plans now? I can drop you off the next time we hit civilization." Mads suggested.

"May I speak my mind, commander?" Liara asked.

"Sure, go ahead." Mads allowed it.

"If I may, I would like to stay here. I would love the opportunity to stay here and help with your mission." Liara had an odd request.

"Excuse me for asking, Liara. But do you have any military training or experience at all?" Mads asked as he leaned back in his seat.

"Well… No… But I'm a biotic! I had some training in it!" Liara proclaimed.

"Well, Liara, I'll let you join our team on condition: That you train with me." Mads said.

"Yes, I would love to." Liara said. Mads gestured for her to come with her hands. She did so and Mads unlocked them. She thanked him, and he nodded as he arose from his seat.

"You can stay here, if you want to." Mads suggested.

"Thank you, commander."

* * *

"Commander Romanov. A pleasure to meet you. I won't take much of your time." Admiral Kahoku greeted. Mads had been hailed on the hologram, and apparently it was important.

"The pleasure is all mine, Admiral. How can I help you?" Mads asked.

"I'm at a crossroad, Commander. I have been banging my head against the council, but they refuse to speak with me. I sent one of my best squads of marines to Edolus, to investigate a distress signal. They disappeared, and I haven't heard from them since… I know you are a Spectre now, maybe you can bypass the red tape and get me some answers?" It was clear that Kahoku was desperate. He was worried endlessly.

"I can try, Admiral. But I can't promise any miracles. I'm running a tight ship here." Mads replied.

"I will take any help you can give. Please, give me and their family some answers." Kahoku pleaded.

"I'll look into it. I'll update you when I have something." Mads promised.

"Thank you, Commander. You are God sent. Kahoku out." He closed the call, and Mads let out a sigh. It wouldn't take long to check it out, so they might as well. Mads gave Joker the location and promptly when to his cabin to change into his combat gear.

* * *

Tali sat at the mess hall table. Most crew members were asleep at the moment. There were close to no one there, expect for three members sitting at a table at the opposite end of the room. She looked around and noticed what they were eating. She often wondered what a real meal would taste like, a hot meal. But alas, she was stuck in this position.

So, with no one else around, and her being almost invisible, she started to listen in to what the other crew members talked about. She hadn't heard the start of the conversation, so there was little to no context for her to build on.

"You think so?" Tali didn't know their names, so it was just crew member 1, 2 and 3 to her.

"He is a damn war hero. The alliance pinned the star of Terra to his chest." Crew member 2 replied.

"Romanov is a bit weird, but I do see him as a good leader." Crew member 3 remarked.

"Weird? That's putting it mildly. He wears gloves all the damn time, who does that?" Crew member 1 asked.

"Someone with something to hide. I bet he has burned skin underneath, and he refuses to show it" Crew member 3 theorized.

"Nah, it's gonna be some cyborg enhancement, right?" Crew member 2 suggested.

It had never been strange to Tali that the commander did not show his forearms or hands. She never showed any of her skin, but that was of course for practical reasons. The commander could survive in this environment, no trouble, yet he insisted on covering himself up. She didn't judge him, she figured he had his own reasons.

There were many weird and mysterious things about her commanding officer. And she was naturally curious to some of them.

* * *

"You are not holding it right, Dr. T'Soni." Mads advised. "Are you a rightie or a leftie?" Mads asked. She was holding an alliance standard issue pistol. They had just begun their training, and Liara was already annoyed at Mads' constant barking of orders. Mads kept changing her stance, her grip, and everything else there was to change.

Liara slowly progressed with each shot. Mads was keeping the heat on her, making sure she didn't get to catch a breath. Finally, a shot hit dead on. Then another one, then another one. Followed by a few misses here and there.

"If you are serious about joining me on missions, Liara. Then you will at some point be confronted by a choice. A bad guy pulls his gun, and you have to decide what is more appealing to you. A bullet in your head, or a bullet in his." Mads lectured.

"I know." She replied, stern and firm.

"Really? Do you?" Mads asked. "Interesting. For now, let's see how you do with a moving target." Mads said. He loaded up a simulation program, that showed a target moving about. First off was walking. She did okay with the walking target, but the running one? That's a different story.

"Come on, Liara. I know you can do better." Mads pressed her.

"What do you want me to do, Commander? I clearly can't hit the target!" Liara wasn't sure how much more she could take. Mads then pulled out his firearm, fired 6 shots, with each hitting their target.

"That's not fair! You've had several years of experience." Liara protested.

"It's about hitting the target where it's gonna be, not where it is. Predict where it will be." Mads lectured. "Take your time, better hit a shot than miss a dozen."

Liara continued her course, and gained quite a few on lookers. It went on for hours, none stop shooting and training. Mads had told her he couldn't train her in everything, since time was not on their side. Whatever she was lacking, she had to make up for with the experience she would gain. At some point, Mads let her train on her own, select her own courses through the simulation program.

"Not only do you pardon her, you actually teach her combat training? I'm shocked." Garrus joked.

"She had no idea her mother was in bed with Saren. But she is as green as grass when it comes to anything military related. She is getting better, but…" Mads took a pause. "I don't know if she's truly got what it takes for this."

"Hmmm, I don't know. But I have seen unlikely candidates succeed before. Liara is determined, at least as far as I can see, to help out." Garrus remarked.

"I'll keep an eye on her. I won't bring her on the next assignment, but maybe the one after that." Mads replied as he leaned up against the Mako. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes to smoke another one.

"Speaking of which, what is the next assignment?" Garrus asked curiously.

"A squad of alliance marines went missing on the planet Edolus. Apparently, they were investigating a distress signal. Admiral Kahoku called in the favor." Mads replied as he gave fire to his cigarette.

"Does this have anything to do with finding Saren?" Garrus asked confused.

"It ought to interest you, Garrus. The whole case is filled with red tape, the admiral can't get answers, and the council refuses to allow anyone near the planet." Mads explained as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"Red tape you say? And we can get in there?"

"Well, you are looking at a council Spectre, if you have forgotten. I can bypass it, sure, but there is something lurking underneath the surface here. But I can't put my finger on it." Mads sighed. "I think I will bring along Kaminski for this one. You and Tali can come as well."

"Kaminski?"

"You haven't met Kaminski yet? Daniel Kaminski. Well, he is our field medic. He is a good man, although not that experienced in combat. He was wounded on Eden Prime, but he should be back in shape now. He can help give us an estimate on what happened, if we find the marines."

"I see… well, you know best."

"Of course I do, that's why I'm a Spectre and you aren't."

* * *

 **27/4 2183**

 **Nearing Edolus.**

Garrus, Tali, Kaminski and Mads were all gathered around the Mako. Mads was looking through the last details before they would deploy. This was largely an unknown mission they were taking on. They had close to no information about it. It did make Mads nervous, not for himself, but for his fellow crew members. They had tackled unknowns before, but there was no telling as to why the marines had disappeared.

"Alright fellas. We do this quickly. We go down and look for any traces of the marines. Should we find them, alive or otherwise, me and Kaminski will see to them. We will only search for about 1-2 hours, since we are running a tight schedule here. We have their last known location, and hopefully that will be enough." Mads gave the sit rep. "Are there any questions?" Mads asked. No one said anything, which was hopefully a good thing.

They all went into the Mako. Garrus at the gun, and Tali running anything technical. Mads drove, as usual, and Kaminski placed himself in the back.

"Approaching the planet, get ready for deployment in 30 seconds." Joker advised.

"You heard the man, buckle up. Approach same as usual." Mads ordered from his place at the helm.

They came in fast, perhaps even a rougher landing that the previous one. But, they took it well, even Kaminski seemed to be made of something tougher than Mads had predicted. "Spirits, I will never get used to that." Garrus remarked from his place at the gunner's nest.

"Nonsense, you are making progress. You didn't look like a victim of Shell shock this time around." Mads joked, but he was half serious.

"Beacon is active, Commander." Tali broke in and said, giving the satnav a new point of interest.

"Got it, thanks Tali." Mads began to make his way there. He hoped that the Marines had just lost contact, and were still there, alive as ever. But that was probably a pipe dream. Sometimes he wished he could take the place of those dead, sometimes he managed to convince himself that everything would be better if he did so. He tried to battle those thoughts, mostly for everyone sake. No one wanted a suicidal commander at the helm of anything.

He sighed as he drove on. The planet was nothing noteworthy, quite a dull place to put it bluntly. It did make Mads wonder, why was there a distress beacon there to begin with? Something had to have gone down. Mads hated when there was a lack of information.

"It's just over that hill" Tali said as she pointed straight forward. She pulled Mads out of his thoughts and back into reality.

"Righto." Mads replied as he began to make the Mako climb the hill. The sheer amount of traction and horsepower made the it small task. As soon as they were on top of the hill, Mads could spot the downed shuttle, as well as the distress beacon.

They slowly pulled up beside the wreck. Mads put the Mako into neutral and slowly began to make his way out. "Garrus and Tali, stay here. Me and Kaminski will check the site out. You guys stay ready if something happens. This place is a right place for an ambush of some kind." Mads remarked as he began to climb out, Kaminski followed hesitantly. The planet was anything but forgiving in its nature.

Slowly, they made their way to the bodies of the fallen marines. "Give me something, Kaminski." Mads ordered as he stood guard. Kaminski squatted down to take a closer look. He was quiet for a few moments, as he moved the bodies around a bit, looking closer at what happened.

"Well, they're dead." Kaminski finally said.

"Yeah, no shit." Mads replied.

"Their armor has completely melted away. Interesting." Kaminski explained as he took a sample. He put the thing through his omni-tool. "Mind speeding this up?" Mad asked as he kept his eye trained on their surroundings. His gut was telling him something would go wrong.

"It's acid. I have never encountered this type before though." Kaminski remarked.

"What is that supposed to-" Mads was cut short. The ground began to shake violently, enough to knock Kaminski off his feet. Suddenly, the earth shattered as it gave way to a massive creature. It was a worm like creature, looking menacing in its own right.

"THRESHER MAW!" Mads yelled as he pulled Kaminski to his feet. They tried to close the distance to the safe heaven known as the Mako. They were cut short a few yards before it. The Thresher Maw spat its fire acid right before them, it melted the very rock this planet was made off.

"Shit! Come on!" Mads yelled as he grabbed Kaminski with one hand, while shooting his magnum at the creature with the other one. "Tali! Garrus! ARE YOU THERE?" Mads yelled into his ear piece.

"What is going on out there?" Tali asked.

"IT'S A GOD DAMN THRESHER MAW! AND WE KNEW SUPPORT RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" Mads was doing his best to keep him and Kaminski out of the acid spit, but that was proving more and more difficult by the second. It wasn't a stupid creature, it knew how to hunt its prey.

"But how?" Tali was getting nervous in the cockpit of the Mako.

"You drive it, and Garrus unleashes hell upon it. And make it quick!" Mads replied as he stopped just a few feet short of another giant pool of acid.

"But I don't know how to drive it!" Tali argued.

"DID I FUCKING STUTTER? LEARN QUICKLY!" Mads ordered over the comms. There was no further communication from the Mako as Mads and Kaminski fought to both stay alive, and give the Mako some breathing room. The Mako had superior fire power, but if the big fucking worm decided to focus on the Mako, it wouldn't last long either.

Tali quickly figured out how to drive the giant vehicle, and she wasn't half bad after she got a hang of it. Garrus continued to rain down hell as best he could on the creature. The Thresher Maw seemed more interested in Mads and Kaminski though.

It was five minutes of pure terror for Kaminski, and five minutes of instincts guiding Mads. But, with the combined fire, they finally put enough bullets holes in the beast to kill it. With one last roar, the beast fell to the ground, dead.

Mads laughed as he slowly took his breath. Kaminski was really breathing heavily to even out his oxygen. "Nice job, you poles are fast on your feet." Mads joked as he padded Kaminski on the back.

"Oh Jesus, we nearly died!" Kaminski proclaimed.

"But we didn't." Mads pointed out as he looked over at the Mako that was coming towards them. 'God bless them' was all Mads could think as he saw the white color of Mako as it pulled up beside them. Kaminski was quick to get back in to the safety of the Mako, while Mads collected the dog tags of the soldiers, and took a closer look at the beacon that summoned the marines there in the first place.

Mads downloaded the contents onto a USB drive. He couldn't really figure out the beacon, it was placed so weirdly, right at the center. There was no way it wasn't a trap. He hoped that Kahoku could make sense of it, after he had overcome the shock of the news that his men had died.

Afterwards, Mads climbed back into Mako, and promptly sat down in his seat. Tali was being awfully quiet in her seat, Mads looked over at her concerned. "Are you alright Tali?" Sometimes Mad wished he could see what was happened beneath the visor, because Quarian could sometimes be hard to read, not as hard as Turians, but hard none-the-less.

"I'm sorry." It wasn't more than a whisper, but it was barely audible for him. Mads was hit by confusion before anything else. What was she apologizing for?

"Sorry for what?" Mads asked as he shifted in his seat to get a better look at her.

"You trusted me, and I failed you." She replied, she refuses to look him in the eye. Mads sighed as he laid his hand on her shoulder, urging her to look at him.

"Tali, if this is about what happened out there-" Mads pointed to outside the Mako. "Then you should not feel sorry. You did your very best in the situation, and I'm proud of you." Mads encouraged her. He could see it now, Tali was quick to judge herself. Was it self loathing? "I'm sorry I yelled at you Tali. It is never anything personal. It was a heated situation. I think you handled it well." Mads praised her. She was at least not looking down in the ground in shame anymore.

"T-Thank you." Her voice sounded a bit weak, but the gratitude was there.

"I hate to interrupt this lover's kiss and make up, but can we get out of here? I'd rather leave the monster planet." Kaminski requested from his seat in the back.

"I don't know, I quite fancy staying here." Mads joked.

"Don't you joke around with that stuff, Romanov." Kaminski was not having a laugh in this moment.

"That was scary, are you sure you didn't shit yourself?" Garrus asked jokingly from his position at the gunner's nest.

"I have been through worse. But thank you, both of you, if it wasn't for you. I would probably have melted away." Mads remarked. He then called for the Normandy to come pick them up, it was high time to get out of there before anything else happened, and Mads wasn't in mood for any more surprises.


	15. Chapter 14: Terrorists

" _Sometimes it feels like all I ever did in my life was fighting terrorists. Sometimes I could understand their plight, other times… Not so much. We are all fighting for something, who is to say that their fight is any less legitimate?"_

 **25/4 2183**

 **Comm's room, SSV Normandy.**

One thing Mads was sure not to forget, was that he was still in the alliance. He got several requests over the days for him to carry out. He had become the poster boy for the alliance. Puffing out some smoke after taking a drag of his cigarette, he waited for Admiral Hackett to pick up. He had gotten an email that stated it was of the upmost importance. Finally, the call was answered.

"Admiral." Mads greeted as he put out the cigarette in the ashtray beside him.

"Commander Romanov. I'm sorry to interrupt your hunt, but there is a serious issue we need to resolve." Hackett cut right to chase.

"What is it?" Mads asked curiously. Hackett was well respected in the alliance, and rightfully so. He was a brilliant admiral, and the thing about him was that he never brought something up unless it had to be talked about. So this had to be important.

"I received a distress call from one of our research operations on the asteroid X57. We have reason to believe it has been hijacked-"

"Hijacked? How? And by whom?"

"We aren't sure yet, but the asteroid has been moving in a weird circle. By our predictions, it's heading for straight Terra Nova." Hackett explained.

"But how? If it's been hijacked, then how are they steering it towards to our colony?" Mads asked.

"We don't know. But whatever they are using, we need to stop it. There are 4 millions souls on that colony, men, women and children. We need to stop that asteroid, no matter the costs." Hackett demanded.

"But why come to me?" Mads was curious. Surely there were units closer to Terra Nova that could handle it.

"We don't want to spook whoever hijacked the thing. There is no telling what would happen. The Normandy is fast and stealthy, it's the only vessel that can handle this assignment. Besides...-" He took a pause. "You are the best team we have. We need you commander." Hackett said, and it was with a sincere genuine tone.

"I can't let 4 million people die, Admiral. Of course I'll assist. I'm gonna set course and get there as soon as possible." Mads promised.

"Thanks commander. I knew we could count on you. I'll send through the co-ordinates now. Please update me… And godspeed. Hackett out." Hackett signed off with that. Mads quickly hailed Joker and got him to set a course for the asteroid. They weren't too far away from the system, but it would take half a day to get there. Hopefully they would be there in time.

* * *

"Remember to hit here!" Mads lectured as he slapped the dummy in the liver area. Liara was practicing her hand-to-hand combat skills. They still left a lot to be desired, her blocking was awful, and she wasn't very fast. She took a swing on the desired area, but it wasn't enough.

"Take a quick break, Liara." Mads ordered. She complied, but it was under protest. If nothing else, then there was enthusiasm to learn. He could respect that. He could see a certain fire in Liara's eyes. She wanted to help. Mads handed her a towel to wipe the sweat off her brow.

"There is another mission coming up in a few hours. If you want to, you can tag along." Mads offered. Her eyes lit up like a thousand stars with that suggestion.

"Yes please." She eagerly replied.

"A few things we need to discuss." Mads said as he pointed to some chairs over by the Mako. They both sat down. "This is a high-risk mission. I need all hands on deck for this one. I want you to stay behind us, and don't take any stupid risks, you got it?" He asked.

"I got it." She answered.

"Good." Mads remarked. "My guess would be, that we will be facing Batarian terrorists here. They don't have any mercy, and they don't play by any rules. They are known for their brutal tactics. They will gut you solely based on your race." Mads explained.

"I understand the seriousness of the situation, commander." Liara replied. Mads nodded slowly. She might change her tune once this was all over, as was the case with most recruits straight out of boot camp after their first assignment.

"Two hours T'Soni, be ready." Mads ordered as he stood up from his chair. "I can't keep my eye on you all the time. Always stick by someone and keep your head down." Mads went over the other corner of the room. Liara started changing into her gear immediately.

"They grow up so quickly." Garrus said with a mocking sad tone as he wiped a non-existing tear off his cheek.

"They sure do. You reckon she is ready?" Mads asked.

"Well, that remains to be seen. She knows the very basic, but I don't know how much that will help her." Garrus changed straight into his serious tone.

"Look after her, will you?" Mads requested as he looked Garrus straight into the eyes.

"Sure. But I can't stop every bullet." Garrus replied as he returned the eye contact.

"I know that… I can't keep my hand over her either, I can't train her forever." Mads commented.

"Who else will you bring along?" Garrus asked as he shifted on his feet.

"Same team from Therum, I'll bring Riesman and Kaminski along as well. With their help, we should be able to succeed." Mads proclaimed.

"Riesman? Who is that?" Garrus asked confused.

"Have you actually talked to anyone outside of the cargo bay?" Mads asked, though the smile on Garrus's face already gave him the answer.

"The Mako needs calibrations, I'm needed here." Garrus excused himself. Lazy bastard.

"Martin Riesman. Intelligence sergeant, and a good friend to have when you need some technology unlocked. He's a good kid." Mads had not known any of them for long. They had just been so lucky to be thrown into the fire. The Normandy was fast becoming the ship that saw the most action.

"Hmmm, I guess that makes sense. Are we still leaving in two hours?" Garrus interrupted Mads' train of thought.

"Yeah, we are working on limited time. There is no telling what they will do, so we move quick and quietly." Mads advised.

"Understood, your majesty." Garrus mocked.

"Shut up, you goddamn peasant." Mads fired back, but not without a small smile creeping up on his face. Garrus was a good man, and a good friend.

* * *

 **25/4 2183**

 **SSV Normandy,** **approaching** **asteroid X57** **.**

"Look at you, all dolled up." Garrus joked as Mads came down to the Mako in his N7 armor. Mads noticed most of them were already ready. They were running on only the basic information, so many unknowns were still present. It could go wrong on so many levels. He hated being in the dark, it's what get people killed.

"So, are we all here?" Mads asked as he did a headcount. They all nodded. "Okay, let me give you guys the run down: We are dealing with an unknown threat here, my guess is Batarian terrorists, but it could be anyone. I want all of you to use caution as much as you can, and follow my orders." Mads explained.

"Riesman and Tali are going to try and disable whatever tech they are using to propel the asteroid through space towards Terra Nova. Kaminski will be looking over any wounded we may come across from the research team. The rest of us is the firing team, we will escort them around." Mads addressed each role according. "Are there any questions?" Mads asked, and found that none of them had anything on their mind.

"Romanov, we are getting a signal from the asteroid. You might want to hear this." Joker informed them.

"Put them through." Mads quickly ordered.

"Hello? Hello? I heard your transmission… Can you hear me? Oh God, they haven't found me yet… But I can't talk for long, or they will catch me… They are using Fusion torches to propel the asteroid. You must disable them! Oh god..." It was a female voice, but she did not identify herself. Still, it was their only inside information so far.

"Buckle up fellas. We are going in fast." Mads ordered as he climbed into the Mako. Mads fired up the beast of a LAV they had. Hearing it's engine come to life was always a nice sound and reassuring sound. Mads looked over his shoulder and saw all of them ready in their seats. Joker gave them a count down, and like the two missions before, they came in fast.

* * *

They sneaked up to the first torch, which was a whole building of itself. The door was locked from the inside, but that was no trouble for a man like Riesman. He quickly went to work on getting the door open, while Mads made sure everyone was as ready as they could be. Whatever was on the other side of that, would most likely not welcome them with open arms.

Mads looked at them all as Riesman finished his work. He lined up his eye sight with each of them, and waited until they gave a nod. They had to be ready, since failure was not an option in that situation. Mads did a double check on his magnum, and sent up a silent prayer to God that all would work out.

"Go." Mads ordered to Riesman, who hit the control button and opened the door up. Mads was the first one in, his team members kept themselves close behind him. Mads spotted them quickly, the culprits. Like he had reckoned, they were indeed Batarians.

What really nagged at him, was just how calm and casual they appeared. Like they thought that this whole operation was nothing. Like another day in the office. "On the ground, RIGHT NOW!" Mads ordered with a harsh tone. One of the Batarians laughed, and stepped right up.

"You humans will pay for what you have done. Go ahead, kill us, it won't stop anything." The Batarian laughed like it was some sick joke. The powerful roar of the magnum as it fired it's 44. bullet was enough to deafen any and all laughter in the room.

"Obliged." Mads remarked as he trained his sights on the next bastard lined up. The Batarian snarled at him, as the rest of the terrorists sought cover a midst the brewing gun fight. "Give 'em hell boys." Mads encouraged from his position. His team needed no further instructions as they went to work on the few Batarians left in the building.

As the last Terrorist hit the ground dead, they realized that time was still ticking. They quickly went upstairs in the search for the controls for the one torch that was being operated out of the building. Mads reflected on how long it had been since the last time he dealt with Batarians.

As they located the controls, Riesman went to work on it. Mads kept guard outside the room to ensure they didn't get any nasty surprises. Last thing Terra Nova needed was for their sole hope to be gunned down before they could even achieve anything. It took only a minute or so, but Riesman was successful in turned off the torch. Mads let out a sigh of relief. It was progress.

"Romanov?" Riesman tugged at Mads' shoulder.

"What is it?" Mads asked back as he noticed the concern in his voice.

"By my calculations, we won't have enough time to turn them all off. The stations are too far from each other." Riesman said worried.

"Fuck..." Mads muttered as he took a moment to think. "Okay, we have to split up." Mads ordered. "Riesman, you take the one here-" Mads pointed to the map. It was the torch marked as number 2. "Take Wrex, Kaiden and Ashley with you. And tread carefully." Mads instructed. "Is that understood?" Mads asked.

"Yeah." Riesman replied as the others nodded.

"Oh, thank god!" Someone yelled from down below. Mads quickly went to look over the railing. At the ground floor stood a man, visibly shaking with a gun in his hands. "I had almost lost hope!" He proclaimed with relief.

"Who are you?" Mads asked as he went down.

"Oh, I'm Simon, Simon Atwell. I'm chief engineer here on the research station. I managed to hide from the Batarians. When I heard shooting, I came here." Simon explained. "You have to shut off the torches! I got family down there… Please!"

"Don't worry Simon. I'll get it done. If you got any information worth sharing, now would be a good time to share it." Mads suggested.

"Well, they put out mines around one of the torches. If you get too close.. They'll blow. That Mako would make it. You have to go on foot, even then you have to be careful." Simon instructed.

"Riesman, you got that?" Mads yelled up to the catwalk.

"Yes! I'll use caution." Riesman responded as he came down with the others.

"Then let's get going." Mads ordered. "Simon, stay here and try to stay out of sight. Hopefully they won't send a new team here. But… We'll see." Mads said. Simon nodded.

"Yes… I'll stay here. I'll try and keep in contact if you need me… Please, do whatever you can." Simon requested.

"I will, don't worry." Mads reassured him with a pad on the shoulder.

* * *

As soon as Mads entered the Mako, his ear piece came to life. "Who is there?" Mads asked.

"I read that one of the fusion torches is offline. Was that you… Can you hear me?" She sounded scared beyond belief.

"Yes, it was me. I'm commander Mads Romanov, alliance navy. Who are you?" Mads asked, more light toned this time.

"I'm Kate Bowman. I'm an engineer. I'm in the main research station. I'm hiding from the Batarians, but I think they are getting closer." Kate introduced herself. No doubt she was scared considering she just beneath the Batarian HQ.

"Listen closely Kate. Please provide whatever information you can. I'll stay on this channel as long as I can. But, stay out of sight, and be as quiet as possible. We'll fix this." Mads promised.

"I will… Oh shit, I have to go. I'll try and stay in contact." She signed off. Mads just hoped it was nothing serious. He turned his attention back to dropping the others off close by the second fusion torch. Hopefully, they would be able to turn them off before disaster struck. Mads could feel some adrenaline rushing through his blood, and that was even more scary when coupled with the fact that they were working on almost borrowed time.

Mads pulled up just outside the minefield. He waited for team one to disembark the Mako and try their luck. "Take it easy, Riesman. You are no good to us in pieces. Remember to send status updates." Mads said as they went out.

"Got it Romanov. We'll do our job here, just make sure to do yours at the third site." Riesman requested as he took a deep breath. No doubt the prospect of going head first into a minefield was unnerving. Mads gave Riesman an affirmative and carried on to the third site.

Left in the Mako was Garrus, Tali, Liara, Kaminski and Mads. Splitting up could be a bad idea, but there was no choice left. Time was ticking too much. Mads hoped that Tali could turn off the last torch, because he had no idea how to do it. It was times like this he cursed himself.

The drive to the last torch was not a long one. But it was unnerving to no end. Mads made sure to put the pedal to the floor and make the Mako run for all its money. Every second earned was a second they could use. Finally, the building was coming into their sight, standing there like a wall between them and victory.

Mads quickly pulled the Mako up beside the building, and got out to secure the perimeter around them. No doubt there would be surprises inside as well. Mads ran up to the door and waited for the rest to come and join here there.

"Romanov! We just entered the building. We are taking heavy fire from Batarians, but we'll manage." Riesman updated him over the channel.

"Copy that Riesman. Continue the push. We are just about to enter the third building." Mads informed back.

"Understood. I'll provide another update when the fusion torch is offline." Riesman signed off. Mads looked at the others and made a gesture asking them if they were ready. They all nodded. Mads gripped his rifle extra tightly as the door swung open. It was rather quiet inside, which concerned Mads even more. Where were they? There was no way they would leave it unguarded.

"Tali, Garrus. Go find the controls and shut down the god forsaken torch." Mads ordered as he began to look around. They both nodded at the order and went away to find it. "Liara, Kaminski, stay close." Mads turned around and said. And stay close they did.

"Commander, we just turned off the fusion torch! But, I think there might be a problem. We'll head over there to your place." Riesman said over the radio.

"Copy that Riesman. But try and get to the main research building. We'll wrap up things here in a moment." Mads ordered.

"Understood." Riesman said and went quiet again. Mads was still looking around. He hoped that there were no one here, but things hardly ever went as he hoped.

"Commander! I just read that the two remaining torches are offline… You did it!" Kate sounded excited in that moment, but then disaster struck "… Oh no..."

"What's going on?!" Mads almost yelled into his ear piece.

"So this is where you have been hiding… Clever. Now, tell us who is turning off the torches." It was a dark voice, Batarian no doubt, and Mads could tell it had to be their leader. Kate remained silent.

"Are you going to be a hero?" The leader then asked "I don't think your brother will like that." He sounded so sinister. "Still no answer?" He asked, and this was final. A gunshot was heard, and a yelp following that, and then some sobbing. Mads was in disbelief. Did they just murder her own brother in front of her?

"Whoever you are, you have done nothing! If you want to be a hero, then I would suggest you get here as soon as possible. Or little Kate here will meet her maker, and that's a promise." As the final words left the bastard's mouth, Mads was raging with anger. He wanted nothing more than to rip the Batarian's tongue out and shove it up his own ass.

"You, human." A voice called out from the far reach of the room. Mads turned around and saw three Batarians stepping up. Mads took a tight hold on his magnum's grip, but he didn't draw, not yet. They hadn't killed him on sight, so there had to be something they wanted to discuss. Mads slowly came closer.

"We can end this peacefully, or it can end in bloodshed." The Batarian said. He had to at least some sort of authority with the terrorists.

"Why should I listen to you?" Mads asked.

"This wasn't my idea. I simply signed up for a quick profit, a slave grab and what not. Balak took this too far..." He remarked.

 _Balak_ , the name rang a bell somewhere in Mads' head. He had heard the name before. "I should kill you regardless. Look at what you did to the people here!" Mads' rage was almost getting the better of him.

"Look, if you let us leave, you can have Balak all to yourself. You won't hear from us ever again." The Batarian was making some sort of offer here. Too bad all Mads could see was red.

"No fucking deal, pal. If you haven't heard already, the alliance doesn't negotiate with terrorists." Mads refused.

"Stupid fucking human. So be it." The Batarian was about to give the order for his buddies to start firing, if it wasn't for the quick draw Mads did. The bullet tore its way through the Batarian's throat. The other two didn't even have time to react before Garrus and Kaminski shot them both dead.

Mads slowly went over to the Batarian who tried to cut them a deal. He was clenching his own throat in an attempt to stay alive, but it was already a lost battle. "Never should have fucked with us." Mads cursed as he shot the Batarian point blank.

Liara watched in horror as this happened before her. She had trouble seeing why the commander was so brutal. But, now was not the time to question the commander's leadership abilities. It was quiet for a few seconds before Mads ordered them to move out.

* * *

As they pulled up to the main research facility, they noticed that the other team was already there. Waiting patiently outside. Mads couldn't help but notice the look of concern on Riesman's face. Whatever he wanted to tell Mads, it was important. Mads climbed out of the Mako alongside the others.

"Riesman, give me a status update." Mads requested as he walked over to the group standing by the wall.

"They are holding the research and engineering crew hostage inside, but that's not the real issue." Riesman sighed.

"Then what is?" Mads asked.

"Turning off the torches is good and all… But it isn't enough." Riesman explained.

"Get to the fucking point, Riesman." Mads demanded.

"Do you know Newton's first law of motion, Commander?" Riesman replied.

"An object in motion stays in motion unless stopped by external force… Can we just skip the science class?" Mads requested.

"Turning off the torches made sure the asteroid won't pick up any more speed, but in space there is no counter force to slow it down. Unless we find something to propel it the other way… We're fucked." Riesman replied with a heavy heart.

"…Please tell me someone has an idea!" Mads almost yelled.

"Maybe we can have the Normandy fire upon it?" Kaiden suggested.

"I don't think our weapon systems are powerful enough to destroy an entire asteroid, at least not this size." Riesman dismissed.

"Look, let's deal with Balak first, then we worry about how we stop this floating rock." Mads ordered. They nodded in agreement and lined up against the door as Riesman began to fire up his hacking program.

As the door opened, they all rushed in. They moved coordinated and picked their targets clean. The main facility certainly didn't lack any targets, Batarians were pretty much everywhere. Mads made sure to keep an eye out for Balak, he wanted to skin the fucker alive.

Batarians fell like flies. They were acting out of desperation as they realized their mission was doomed. They fought hard, but not hard enough. Mads made sure to keep Liara in his sights at all time. She wasn't doing too bad, but she had a look of disdain on her face ever since he killed the Batarian that tried to cut him a deal. He began to realize just how naive Liara might be, how sheltered she had been. He remembered when he was like her, an innocent soul.

The rest of team gave the Batarians hell. They took no chances with them, they even double tapped the Batarians to be sure they didn't get back up and shoot them in the back. Slowly but surely the station meant for research was turning into a battleground. Mads and the crew kept up the pressure and slowly the Batarians yielded to their superior firepower.

Then, as one of the last Batarians fell, silence fell upon the facility. Mads made sure to give a gesture to keep his team mates on guard. They hadn't nailed Balak yet, Mads knew it. And the engineers were still trapped in the room the Batarians had placed them in.

"Balak! Show yourself!" Mads yelled out, and for a few seconds silence still dominated the huge room.

"Commander Romanov. I should have known the alliance would send their poster boy to face me… No matter." Balak's voice was cocky, he knew that having hostages was a useful thing when dealing with humans. "I will walk off this floating piece of junk, and you will step aside, unless you want to fry your friends."

"What's the big score here Balak? Kill 4 million humans and hope everything works out? Are you really that stupid?" Mads asked.

"Fuck you! This is nothing compared to what has been done to the Batarians! We are starving, we are living in poverty and we keep being outdone! Something had to be done!" Balak ranted.

"However tragic that may be, it was not the humans that forced you out of citadel space. You chose that. The humans were in the right to colonize in the Terminus Systems. Shifting the blame is easy, a hell of a lot easier than actually fixing your problems." Mads fired back, with matching fire in his eyes.

"You don't understand our plight. You never will, you humans don't care. Now, step aside or the humans die." Balak demanded.

"I can't do that. You will die here." Mads promised.

"So be it!" Balak replied, and in a fit of rage he typed the damning commands into his omni-tool that would set off the charges in the hostage's room. Mads heard the explosion, it was enough to rock the ground they stood up. It made Mads see red.

"Squad! Open fire!" Mads quickly ordered. They did as he requested. Balak only had a select few men left, and they were no tougher than what they had already witnessed. They butchered his personal guard in a matter of minutes. In the fire fight, Mads noticed Balak making a run for it.

Time slowed down as he tightly gripped his magnum, and lined up the shot. A single shot to the Batarian's abdomen. The bullet cut through his shield like butter, and forced the terrorist on the ground. Balak wasn't dead yet, but he soon would be. Mads would make sure of that.

"Fan out people, give me solutions to the problem at hand." Mads ordered. "Kaminski, go to the hostage room and check the damage." Mads requested. They all nodded and began to look for anything that could help them. Mads slowly approached the terrorist as he attempted to crawl away.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Mads asked as he kicked the Batarian in the rips, forcing a whimper for the already dying Batarian.

"Fuck you!" Balak spat his blood upon Mads' boot, which earned him another kick. "You have showed me that you are no different than me! You are just as much a terrorist as I am!" Balak laughed.

"I don't remember pushing any buttons that killed the hostages. You made your choice, Balak. And now it's time to pay for it." Mads said as he rolled Balak over, so he was laying on his back. "I can't stomach people like you. All you want is destruction, a fruitless attempt to be heard. Violence is all you know." Mads preached as he punched Balak in the face.

"I'm not alone, Romanov. There are thousands ready to pick up the fight. They will do whatever needs to be done." Balak threatened.

"Let them come. I'll deal with them the same way I dealt with you. You want to piss off the alliance? You keep pushing the Batarians' luck, and this will end in war." Mads promised, he was about to finish off Balak when he heard Garrus call out for him. This prompted Mads to go see if they figured out something yet.

"What's up?" Mads asked as he walked up to a center console in the room where Garrus, Tali and Riesman were standing.

"The engineers rigged the whole rock with explosives to mine it. There is enough here to blow the whole asteroid to kingdom come. The Batarians were busy connecting and laying down new charges as a backup plan. If we set it to blow, we can maybe stop the whole rock from coming down, but some pieces might still land on the colony." Riesman explained as he showed Mads the console.

"It's our best shot. Set a timer for them, long enough for us to get out of here." Mads ordered. "Garrus, send a signal to everyone on this rock. If anyone is alive, they better meet us here for evac. I'll deal with Balak." Mads said.

"Copy that Commander." Garrus said as quickly went to work. Riesman began to put in commands on the console to make sure the timer was correct. Mads took the handcuffs from his belt, the same ones used on Liara, and went over to Balak.

He forcibly grabbed Balak's wrist and cuffed the one hand. Balak grunted as Mads dragged him half way through the room over to a stationary table. "You want to be a martyr, huh?" Mads asked, but received no answer from Balak, who was still losing blood at a rapid pace. "Then wish fucking granted" Mads remarked as he slammed the other handcuff to the table.

"Fuck-… You!" Balak replied as he coughed some blood up. As Mads looked back at his team, he noticed Liara in the moment. Her expression was revealing to say the least. The horror upon her face was not hard to notice. She had never seen anything like this, and Mads made a mental note to check up on her later.

"Let's wrap it up!" Mads ordered. Riesman gave the thumbs up from his position at the console. Mads sent up a silent prayer, and hoped that the debris from the asteroid wouldn't cause any major damage.

* * *

 **A few hours later**

 **Comms room, SSV Normandy.**

"Commander Romanov." The hologram greeted.

"Admiral Hackett. What's the status update?" Mads asked, hoping that it wouldn't be too high.

"We are still making heads and tails of it, but most of the debris seemed to have landed in the water, at least the parts that didn't get destroyed in orbit. Unfortunately… Some of it did land on the coastal area… We estimate the death toll to be somewhere between 100 and 300 civilians. Most of them were evacuated." Hackett answered with a low and rather sad voice.

"I'm truly sorry to hear that… I wish there had been more I could have done." Mads remarked with a sad tone as he hung his head low.

"You did what you had to do, commander. You acted where other officers might have been frozen in shock. Even if 300 people died, that's a hell of a lot better than 4 million dead. You did the right thing. We will honor the fallen with all we have." Hackett reassured.

"Good, I had to make a choice. I made sure Balak wouldn't walk off the rock, but in the process… Some of the engineers died." Mads confessed.

"I'm glad you are forthcoming about it… Part of being an alliance commander is taking tough choices. Balak had been on out watch list for a while, we should have seen this coming. If he had walked, there is no telling what he would do next? Find another asteroid? Hijack a warship and let hell rain down upon a colony? At lease now we know he was stopped." Hackett replied.

"Thank you… But it is a burden I must carry." Mads added.

"I know. But rest assured, the alliance has already found your actions justified. Continue with hunting down Saren. Hackett out." And with that, the hologram went away. In Hackett's wake, came silence. Mads wasn't sure how the crew took his decision. He would have to have a talk with all of them, it would be for the best.

* * *

 **Cargo bay, SSV Normandy**

Mads approached the large Krogan known as Wrex. He was standing in his usual place, just… Staring, like he always did. It always seemed like Wrex was just waiting for the next fight, but after speaking a bit with him, Mads realized he wasn't a dumb warrior.

"Hey Wrex, how are you?" Mads greeted as he stood before the mighty Krogan.

"Fine, I suppose." Wrex was usually short with his answers, and they were usually the crew.

"I just wanted some input on what happened on X57." Mads requested.

"I don't see what there is to talk about. You killed Balak and stopped the rock from destroying the colony." Wrex bluntly answered.

"So you don't think it was wrong to let the hostages die?" Mads asked curiously.

"No, it had to be done. I know people like Balak, they do this shit all the time. Killing innocent people to get his goal, a bit like what Saren is doing. I always knew he was trouble." Wrex replied.

"Wait… Did you know Saren before?" Mads asked confused.

" _Knew him_ is not the right expression. I took a job once, turns out he was the boss man." Wrex recounted.

"How come you didn't tell me this before?" Mads asked, a bit taken back by Wrex's statement.

"If I thought it was relevant, then I would have. It happened a long time ago." Wrex was quick to reply.

"I'd like to know anyhow." Mads requested.

"I heard about a job some time ago, one that was high pay and rather low risk. The boss wasn't around to look over things. We took on a Volus trading vessel at some point, a pretty big haul, and killed all the security on board. That's when I saw him, as we were looking through the inventory. He was just going through the vessel, looking. Someone called him by name, but he didn't answer." Wrex explained.

"What happened?" Mads was curious at this revelation.

"I got out as fast as I could. Something about him didn't sit well with me. I didn't even wait to collect my paycheck… Turns out I was right. Everyone involved died within a week of me leaving. I knew he was a nasty piece of work." Wrex said.

"Damn, so he has been in some shady business for a while? That's interesting." Mads remarked. "Anyway, thanks for the info Wrex." Mads said and promptly turned on his heels.

"Romanov." Wrex bid farewell.

Mads pulled out his pack of cigarettes and placed one between his lips. His zippo gave the signature click sound as he gave fire to the cigarette. He exhaled the smoke and savored the nicotine now in his blood. It never failed to make him calm down. Mads looked over to the Mako, and saw Garrus standing by the small terminal.

"Garrus, you bird looking ass. How are you?" Mads asked with a smile as he went over to him. Mads took another drag of his cigarette as Garrus turned around.

"I can't believe it, his majesty actually visits his subjects?" Garrus joked. It was clear that Garrus had done his research on Mads' name.

"Wouldn't be a good commander if I didn't see how my crew mates were doing." Mads replied.

"Well, I'm doing just fine. There is never a shortage of work on this Mako." Garrus remarked.

"What's your take on the last mission?" Mads asked as switched to a more serious tone.

"That thing would never fly with C-sec. They are by the book, likes their rules." Garrus answered.

"So you don't approve of what happened?" Mads asked concerned.

"I wouldn't be here if I was happy with how C-sec run their operation. You did the right thing, you took down the threat. C-sec would have let him go. Personally, I would have put a bullet in Balak's head. But I guess this is just as well." Garrus explained.

"Yeah… Balak wouldn't have stopped if we let him go." Mads concluded.

"Indeed. Men like Balak only care for their goal, a slap on the wrist like this would have done nothing. Killing him will make sure he won't hurt anyone ever again. As for the Asteroid, there was nothing more you could have done. 300 people dead is a lot better than 4 million." Garrus reassured.

"Thank you, I guess we think alike." Mads remarked as he leaned against the Mako.

"That's why I joined you. I can see that you are willing to do what needs to be done. Regardless, I'm with you every step of the way." Garrus promised.

"Thanks Garrus." Mads said as he gave Garrus a pat on the back.

* * *

Mads walked into engineering, and looked around. Everything was still going smoothly in there, but he was there to talk to specific engineer. Mads wanted to know where everyone stood after what had happened. He wanted to know if everyone could stand up to what they would face. What happened on X57 was only a taste of what was to come.

"Tali!" Mads greeted as he walked over to her station. She quickly turned around as soon as she heard his voice.

"Hello Commander. How are you?" Tali asked.

"I'm fine, and you?" Mads asked back. Tali shifted a bit on her feet before answering.

"I don't know. I have been thinking after what happened on the last mission… I don't think I could have done it." Tali replied a bit nervous.

"How so?" Mads asked curiously.

"Making the decision to kill hostages to stop Balak… It must be a heavy burden. I have been thinking about it, and I do believe it was the right choice… But, I don't know if I could make such a decision..." Tali answered.

"It's not easy, Tali. I mourn the lost souls of the martyrs killed on the asteroid, as well as the civilians who died in the aftermath… But if I had done nothing, Balak would have just picked a new target, and a new weapon." Mads explained.

"I know you are right, Commander. I respect your decision, and I will follow you no matter what." Tali reassured Mads.

"Thanks Tali, it means a lot. Now, I have a question-"

Tali and Mads spoke for hours, mostly about Quarian culture. Despite what Mads had read on the extranet, or simply what he had heard floating around, he didn't actually know that much about Quarian culture and life. It was quite interesting to him. Now the Quarians had not only adopted themselves into a new life with the environmental suits, but also every part of their culture had been reworked. Tali would explain everything in great detail and Mads would ask another question.

Mads knew the friendship they had was brewing, and he was happy to have Tali as his friend. She was smart, brave, creative… And even a little cute. But he wouldn't admit that, he had a hunt to complete.

* * *

Mads gently knocked on the door to Liara's office. There was silence for a few seconds, before a faint ' _come in_ ' could be heard from inside. Mads opened the door and found Liara sitting at her usual desk, doing her research. Mads approached her slowly, but she got up to meet him half way.

"Commander..." She greeted.

"Liara, how are you?" Mads asked.

"Not well, not after what I witnessed on X57. Commander, how could do such a thing?" She asked with a meek voice.

"I did what I had to do Liara, I-" Mads didn't have a chance to finish before Liara interrupted him.

"You killed them, Commander! They are dead!" She cried.

"Liara, let me try and explain it to you. Please, sit down." Mads suggested. She sat down and Mads began to pace around a bit. "… Have you ever heard of the trolley problem?" Mads asked.

"… No..." She replied as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Let me ask you a question: You are standing at a railroad junction, a train is going down the track and shows no sign of stopping. By your side is a lever to change which track the train will go through on. On the main track, there is 5 people standing, unaware of what is going on. On the side track, there is a single person, also unaware. Now, you have a choice to make, do you remain inactive, and let the train run over 5 people, or do you take action and be directly responsible for one person's death?" Mads asked her. She got real quiet, she remained in deep thought.

"I-… I suppose I would pull the lever..." She replied.

"Right. The lives of the many outweigh the lives of the few. Balak wasn't going to stop, not after being let go like that." Mads explained, Liara remained quiet. "I don't claim to be a perfect man, Liara. But I saw what was coming and I choose to act, to lead. Maybe you should think about that." Mads suggested.

"… Yes, I'll give it some thought…" She replied, and Mads nodded at her statement.

"I know these are tough situations, it can be stressful. I need you at a one hundred percent if we need to find Saren. These decisions will come again, and maybe you will have to choose next time." Mads informed.

"I understand commander. You have given me a… New perspective..." She replied.

"No worries. But there is nothing wrong with weeping for those lost. Having a moral compass is not a bad thing, Liara." Mads advised. She nodded. Mads smiled, but knew that the whole thing was a lot for her to take in.

Besides, he had other business to see to. Most notably, Feros.


	16. Chapter 15: Feros

**Holy cow! Over 5000 views! Thanks guys! To celebrate I have written my longest chapter yet! Do enjoy, and remember that reviews are always welcome!**

* * *

 **25/4 2183**

Mads was sitting at his desk, going through all the different e-mails he had received, which was quite a lot. The fact that everything he did was to be considered an action of humanity as a whole, was quite hard to imagine. Not everything he did was something he was proud of.

Do the ends justify the means? It really boils down to what set of ethics you follow. Immanuel Kant believed in principle that you should never lie, kill or cheat no matter the circumnutates. Someone like John Stuart Mill believed that you should focus on the consequences of your action.

Mads had these discussions inside his head all the time. Having the weight of the galaxy on your shoulder did a lot to one's mind, even if you have pretty solid shoulders. Mads could not afford to look weak, so he kept these topic to himself.

The next stop was Zhu's Hope. A small colony founded on an old prothean colony. While Mads had never been there, he had heard several stories about the place. The colony had been dark for some time now, Mads wondered if he should have dropped by there first, instead of Therum. Alliance Brass believed it to be Geth that attacked the colony, if that was the case then Mads had to move quickly.

 _I wonder what Saren is interested in; Feros doesn't seem to be the time of colony to have anything of interest._ Mads thought to himself. He would get the answer soon enough.

Mads decided to take a quick shower. Letting the steaming hot water flow over him, few feelings matched this. Mads quickly got dressed into his combat armor and made his way up to Joker.

Joker was sitting at his usual position, not really surprising considering his condition. He seemed pre-occupied with something. Mads decided to scare him a bit.

Mads walked with silent steps, not an easy task considering his Jackboots had hobnails in them. Luckily Joker still seemed too busy on his current task.

Mads was now fully behind the pilot, almost staring him down from behind, just about close enough for Joker to feel his breath. Mads spoke up.

"Hey Joker!"

Joker almost fell out of his chair in shock. Mads then realized it probably wasn't the smartest move considering his condition.

"Jesus Christ, Commander! you almost gave me a heart attack and thirteen broken bones!" Joker said as he settled back into his chair. Mads chuckled a bit at that.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself. How far to Feros?" Mads asked.

"Not long Commander, about 30 minutes" Joker replied as he calmed down.

Mads began to go down the CIC, when he heard Joker speak up.

"You know I'm going to retaliate right?"

"I'll be counting the days" Mads replied with a smirk as he continued along his merry way.

Mads met his team at the mess table, they had all suited up for the next mission. Mads decided to brief them.

"So our next stop is Feros. We are going in completely dark; we have no clue what to expect other than Geth. Saren had a particular interest in this colony, we have to find out what it is" Mads ordered. They all nodded.

They then started talking to each other, mostly small talk. Liara walked up to Mads.

"Commander, can I ask you a question?" Liara asked.

"Of course, what is it?" Mads replied.

"How do you deal with killing? Your actions yesterday were brutal" Liara asked.

"Liara, I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other. Practiced hands make for short work and the good lord knows there is much to be done. Killing never gets easier, even after so many years I have never quite gotten used to it" Mads explained.

"Thank you commander" Liara said. Mads smiled to her.

Tali watched the two talk, and she felt a wave of jealousy flush over her. She knew she liked the commander, but not to this degree.

"By the way guys, we won't be dropping the Mako today. The colony of Feros has a small spaceport for the Normandy to land in" Mads said to the group, they all cheered at that.

"Yea! We won't have to endure the commander's driving!" Garrus joked, earning a few laughs from the group.

"Watch your tongue Vakarian, or I'll kick your narrow ass back to Palaven" Mads fired back, almost everyone laughed at that.

"You love me for it" Garrus said as he blinked with one eye. Mads chuckled at that.

The team spent the rest of the time chatting with each other. Talking about various things until Joker called them over the comms.

"We have just docked at Feros. Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out" Joker said.

"Hahaha, this guy" Mads laughed as he went up the stairs, the team followed him.

They walked up the CIC and into the airlock. After a couple of seconds, the door opened to reveal a colony just barely standing on its own two feet. They walked along a path until they found a man standing there to greet them.

"You must speak with Fai Dan!" The man requested.

Mads raised an eye brow and asked "Who is Fai Dan?"

"He is our leader, please speak with him" The man said.

Just as the last words left his mouth, a Geth trooper appeared behind him.

"GET DOWN!" Mads yelled as he jumped into cover. The man was unfortunately not fast enough and was blown away by an explosion. Mads quickly destroyed the Geth present before addressing his team.

"Seems we need to find this Fai Dan. Come on" Mads ordered.

The path to the colony was full of stairs, several Geth troopers and hoppers were along the path. The team managed to take them down before reaching the colony. The colony was barely holding together, it was nothing but a couple of prefabs that had seen better days. Everything seemed to be wrong, the water supply was off, and the colony had no power and they were starving because they really could not get any food.

The colony was named Zhu's hope. It was founded by ExoGeni Corporation, a company known for exploration and colonization. The fact that is no longer countries, but companies that handled such matters, greatly baffled Mads. One could argue that the east indian trade company was not linked to the british empire, but that was a discussion best left for a different day.

Mads tried to speak with several colonists, but they all said the same thing.

"You should speak with Fai Dan"

Mads was greatly puzzled by their behavior. Mads had seen people under great stress during war time, but this beyond such reactions. Something was wrong about this colony.

Mads and his team eventually found Fai Dan, he was speaking with a female.

"Hello there!" Mads greeted them.

"Hello, I'm Fai Dan. I'm sort of the mayor/leader around here"

"Aren't you a bit late?" The woman asked in a cold voice.

"Arcelia!" Fai Dan said.

"Sorry, Commander. Everyone on edge since-" Fai Dan was interrupted by Arcelia.

"Watch out! We got geth in the tower!"

"Protect the heart of the colony!" Fai Dan ordered.

Mads and his team went to work, at this point they were all experts on the Geth.

 _Who you gonna call? GETHBUSTERS! Sorry couldn't help myself_ Mads thought to himself.

During their fight with the Geth, Mads noticed something interesting. The Geth always seemed to have a better firing rate. Their guns did not seem to overheat. His team had made no comments on this, but Mads knew something was off. From Mads' cover he was able to observe a Geth trooper in action, Mads was quite surprised by what he saw. The unit seemed to be reloading his rifle with something, Mads needed to get a closer look when they were done.

As the last geth unit fell, the troopship flew away. Mads now had the time to check out the geth weapon. He squatted down and inspected the weapon. Geth weapons seemed so alien compared to the weaponry of both the alliance and citadel space.

Mads had been correct in his observation. The weapon had some sort of speed reloader, a thermal clip. To prevent overheating. Mads wrote down his discovery and took several pictures. Tali and Garrus walked up to him.

"Commander, what are you doing?" Garrus asked.

"This is amazing! The Geth have adopted detachable heat sinks. Effetely eliminating the problem of overheating." Mads explained while showing the rifle to Tali and Garrus.

"Spirts, why didn't we discover this sooner?" Garrus asked.

"I noticed Geth didn't really deal with the problem of overheating, and then I noticed a Geth unit reloading his weapon, must like I do with my 44. Magnum" Mads took his 44. Magnum into his hands and showed them the process of reloading.

"We need to report this back to the alliance and citadel space!" Tali said.

"You read my mind Tali" Mads replied as he smiled to her.

Mads carried the Geth rifle with him back to the colony. The population seemed extra relived that the attack was repelled. Mads walked up to Fai Dan again.

"They backed off, but they might come back for another round" Mads explained.

"I know, every day we fear their big push, we are only a few people holding out." Fai Dan spoke.

"Do you know what the Geth are looking for?" Mads asked.

"No idea, we are just a small colony. Whatever it is, it must be in the ExoGeni headquarters. Just along the skyway. There is still Geth in the tunnels under the colony" Fai Dan explained.

"Really? What are they looking for?" Mads asked.

"Not as much looking as they are guarding a transmitter. Please Commander, I must ask for your help. I know ExoGeni is your priority, but I have so few able hands" Fai Dan begged.

"Of course I will help you. Is there more problems?" Mads asked. Fai Dan looked like someone who had just been relieved of a world of stress.

"There is both water, food and power problems. Please speak to the people who are responsible." Fai Dan said. Mads nodded.

Mads spent the next 20 minutes talking details with the different people. First off food hunting was going badly because of the alpha Varren. Water valves had been shut off in the tunnel and the colony missed several power cells. Mads noted that the solution to all the problems were in the tunnels.

 _Out of the frying pan and into the fire_

Mads quickly went to work with his team. They spent a good 2 hours solving all the problems, but when they were done with the water problems, they ran into a rather strange induvial.

A man named Ian Newstead. He seemed to be in great mental pain, but Mads could not see this as combat fatigue. Something inside his mind punished him whenever he did something he should not do. Mads made a mental note about this.

Mads put a lot of smiles on the people of Zhu's hope when they got the news that many of their problems were fixed. Mads spoke to Fai Dan about Mr. Newstead. Fai Dan simply claimed he had lost his mind. Mads knew he was lying, which was weird considering his was such a nice man. Everyone in the colony was acting so off.

Mads decided to not waste any more time. They were able to get the Mako out of the Normandy on unto the path that would lead them to the ExoGeni headquarters.

"Looks like you won't be missing out on my driving skills after all Garrus!" Mads joked with a smirk as he settled into the driver seat.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world" Garrus replied sarcastically.

Mads laughed at that, somehow Garrus always knew just how to crack him up, well him and Joker.

Several Geth troopers were present during their ride along the path. The only noise that could be heard inside the Mako was the gun being fired until Tali spoke up.

"Commander, I just picked up a weak signal. I try to see if I can clear it up"

"Nice job Tali" Mads replied.

The radio then played the signal.

"It's only been a couple of days! She could still be alive!" A female spoke.

"You don't know that, we can't risk any more people!" A man spoke.

Suddenly the people speaking seemed to notice the Mako.

"I just picked a vehicle driving here. It's not Geth" The female said.

"They must have spotted us!" Tali said.

"They must be in there" Mads remarked as he stopped the Mako and climbed out. He walked down a ramp and into a rather large room full of what seemed like scientists. Suddenly a guard noticed Mads, Tali and Garrus walking down the ramp and he pointed his gun at them.

"Please, no need for hostilities. We're with the alliance" Mads greeted as he raised his hands.

"It's okay Simon, put the gun down" Mads recognized the voice as the woman on the signal.

"Thank god they finally sent someone. I'm Juliana Baynham" She introduced.

"Nice to meet you Juliana. I'm Commander Mads Romanov of the alliance" Mads said as he shook her hand.

"Do you have any idea why the Geth are here?" Mads asked. He hated that he had to be so straight forward, but time was of the essence.

"No idea. This colony has nothing of interest. They seem to have set up shop in our headquarters, you might find what they are looking for there." Juliana suggested.

"Understood. I'll check it out" Mads replied. Suddenly a third man jumped into the conversation.

"Those headquarters are private property. Remove our Geth problem and nothing more" The man said. He was the second voice on the signal.

"Easy Jeong, he is trying to help" Juliana replied in order to calm the man down.

"I'll do what I have to" Mads said. That answer seemed to have a nervous effect on mr. Jeong.

"Please commander, my daughter is somewhere in the ExoGeni building. I have not heard from her in days." Juliana begged.

"Her chances for survival are very low. We can do a proper counting of the dead when the Geth are gone." Jeong countered.

"How can you say such things?" Juliana asked with a couple of tears in her eyes.

"Please Juliana. I'll look for her, what's her name?" Mads asked.

"Lizbeth, her name is Lizbeth" Juliana answered. Mads smiled to her, and it had the desired effect of calming her down.

Tali was touched that the commander was willing to go the extra mile to help a mother find her daughter. Such kindness was in mighty short supply in this galaxy.

Mads had a conversation with a free-lance weapon modder named Gavin Hossle. Who gave him the task of finding a series of blueprints stuck at the ExoGeni Building. Tali had made a comment about how people always assumed that they liked getting into dangerous situations. Mads had laughed a lot at that.

The ride to the headquarters was full of Geth, both troopers and armatures. Like Mads had stated before, Practiced hands make for short work.

The team finally pulled up to HQ, only to find a big Geth ship hanging on the side. Mads stepped out of the Mako and noticed the main door had sort of a field around it, preventing everyone from either entering or leaving.

"I'm afraid we are not going through there, Commander" Liara said.

Mads looked over to find a hole in the ground, it seemed to be leading into the building.

"That's a one-way street" Garrus commented.

"It's the only way. Come on" Mads ordered and jumped down the hole, his team followed suit. Mads noticed several dead varren when he entered into a large chamber. Just as Mads was inspecting the animal, a gunshot was heard. Mads quickly brought his 44. Magnum into his hands and pointed it towards the threat.

The threat turned out to be a young woman. She seemed to be scared shitless. As such Mads did not consider her a threat.

"Oh god, I thought you were Geth or varren. I'm so sorry" The woman apologized.

"It's okay, who are you?" Mads asked, trying to calm her down.

"My name is Lizbeth Baynham. I stayed here to back up files; I got trapped when that big Geth ship arrived." Lizbeth explained.

"Any idea what the Geth are looking for?" Mads asked.

"I don't know" She said in a nervous tone, it was obvious she was lying.

"Lizbeth, are you keeping something from me?" Mads asked.

"It might be the Thorian" She replied.

"What the Thorian?"

"It a plant, I don't know much about it. I know it's very old. You might found out more in the archives" Lizbeth suggested.

"I am going to take a look. I want you to stay put; don't leave your hiding spot until I'm done" Mads ordered.

"Here take my ID card, it might help you" Lizbeth gave him the card.

"Thank you" Mads replied as he left to explore the building. His team followed him.

The team didn't go very far before they heard an angry Krogan yelling at a VI. He seemed to be trying to access some classified information. Krogan seemed relieved to finally have some organics to shoot at when he noticed Mads. Mads quickly outsmarted the Krogan and cut out both his eyes with his knife, before jamming his knife into the massive creatures throat.

Mads had a long chat with the VI. It turns out that the Thorian or species 37, was actually a mind controlling plant that lived underneath the Zhu's hope colony. Instead of helping the people living there, ExoGeni decided to study them. That was why the colonists were acting so weird. It seemed Lizbeth were entitled to quite a lot of information in this database, so she had been lying to Mads. Yet she still seemed to have her heart in the right place, according to the VI, Lizbeth was the only one to protest ExoGeni's actions.

With this new information, it became a race against time. They needed to get back to the colony, but they were effetely trapped inside the building. Luckily the problem seemed to be the Geth ship; it was powering the fields at the doors. They just needed to get rid of it.

Mads found several geth on their knees, were they worshipping the claws of the Geth ship? It seemed absurd.

"What, Geth have a religion now?" Mads asked.

"This makes no sense, why would machines devote resources to this?" Garrus was also confused.

"I don't know, this is anything but normal" Tali commented.

"I suppose that's true. Shall we interrupt Sunday mass?" Mads asked with a smile. Everyone nodded before going to work on the Geth. The team had the high ground, so they quickly deposed of the Geth.

The team went through several different rooms, until they came to a room that seemed to harbor the solution. Several claws with cables were sticking in through the openings; the openings seemed to be able to close with high pressure.

The team did just that. It was too much for the Geth ship to handle, it fell from the building and all the way down to the ground many hundred meters below. Mads spent a little time scouting out the building, gathering different information and the data for Gavin Hossle.

As they began to make their way out of the building, they ran into Lizbeth once again. Mads decided to confront her.

"Thank god you are alive!" Lizbeth greeting them

"I think you owe us an explanation, you know more about this thorian than you let on" Mads demanded coldly.

"I didn't mean to, I was afraid they would throw me to the wolves. I'll tell you everything" Lizbeth explained.

"I know enough, I spoke with the VI. There is two reason I'm not going to punish you. One: you were the only scientist to protest the program, and your mother is waiting for your return" Mads said.

"My mother is alive? Oh thank god!" Lizbeth was almost crying in happiness. Mads smiled to her and began to make his way to the Mako.

"Wait! Can I come with you? I want to help fix this mess I helped create" Lizbeth asked with a look of shame.

"Of course" Mads said.

During the ride back, nothing major happened. Only when they approached the hideout of the ExoGeni employs did things get interesting. The got a call on the radio from Juliana like when they had pulled up to the hideout hours before.

The call seemed to show just how tense things were in the camp; it seemed on the verge of breaking. The Mako pulled up next to the ramp that went down to the camp. Lizbeth spared no time in getting to her mother, but Mads forced her to take cover behind a crate. They did not know just how dangerous the situation was.

Mads quickly got overview of the situation, Jeong seemed to have tried to take control, but was unable to do what was necessary accomplish just that. Jeong had the security personal take a hold of Juliana, Lizbeth then rushed over to her mother, making the security stand back.

"Come out! All of you, so I can see you!" Jeong yelled at the crates at the ramp. Mads decided to grant him his wish.

Jeong pulled out his gun and pointed it at Mads. Mads did the same to Jeong.

"Think wisely about your next move. You don't have any shields, and even if you did, my gun would cut through it like butter. If you put down that weapon we can talk like civilized gentlemen, in fact I have a proposition" Mads explained.

"And what is that? ExoGeni wants this place purged!" Jeong said, while lowering his weapon a bit.

"There is a better option. The PR possibilities are endless here. A small human colony in the middle of nowhere survives a Geth attack? Never a better poster boy" Mads explained.

"I see your point, but what about the Thorian? It would ruin everything. We also have to purge the people in the colony" Jeong said.

"What? No! They shouldn't be killed for your actions!" Juliana said most people seemed to agree.

"I can't promise harm won't come their way if the thorian is controlling them" Mads said.

"I might have an idea about that. Come speak with me later" Juliana said.

"Alright, do we have a deal Jeong?" Mads asked.

"Yes, I suppose no one ever have gone broke playing the champion of humanity card." Jeong said.

Mads nodded and went over to speak with Juliana and Lizbeth. They gave Mads some nerve-gas to help neutralize the colonists without killing them. Mads then moved to the colony of Zhu's hope.

The colony was full of things that looked a bit like husks, expect more organic in nature. These things seemed to be grown from something, probably the plant. These things were killed, but all colonists were spared, simply put to sleep. It was a hard task to accomplish, but Mads knew they did not want to kill him; they were under a spell of a fucking plant.

When the colony was finally cleared, they lifted up one of the prefabs to find the entrance to the chamber of the plant. Before they went down, they witnessed Fai Dan commit suicide, he was able to resist the plant, and for that he earned Mads' respect.

The team walked down a set of stairs and were discussing the plans for how to handle this plant creature.

"So when we find this plant we should-" Tali was cut off by the view of the plant.

"Dear god" Mads whispered.

"That does not look good" Tali remarked.

The plant seemed to do something that looked similar to vomiting, except the thing that it vomited was a green Asari.

"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!" The Asari ordered.

"In awe of a fucking plant? Ohhh that's rich. Look I came for the thing you gave to Saren" Mads said.

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are long gone. The old growth listened to flesh for the first time in the long cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The old growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!" The Asari explained

"Listen here pal, you better release those colonists go and give me the damn information or bad things are going to happened. Verstehst du?" Mads asked.

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short, but have gone on for too long" The Asari preached.

"Fuck this" Mads said as he pulled up his 44. Magnum and blew a tennis ball sized hole in the asari. The team then went on to take out the Thorian by shooting off its arms. Several Thorian creepers were guarding each arm, but in the end it made no difference, the Thorian died. Mads thought that he might never get what Saren got, but just as he was about to leave, the Asari that had been cloned got free.

"I'm free! I suppose I should thank you for releasing me" The Asari said.

"No need mam. You should take it easy. I assume you are with Saren?" Mads asked.

"I was, when Saren got what he wanted, he left me here and tried to erase all evidence with his geth. My name is Shiala, I served under Matriarch Benezia. She joined Saren to guide him on a gentler path" Shiala said.

"I suppose that did not work out then?" Mads asked

"Well Saren has a way of controlling you went you get in too deep with him. It has something to do with his flagship, a giant vessel named Sovereign" Shiala explained.

"That's troubling, I have seen this warship, but if it has such powers?" Mads spoke to himself.

"That brings me to my next question. What did Saren want?" Mads asked.

"The cipher. It is what it means to be Prothean, it is their history, language, culture and so on. When you gain the cipher, you are more likely to make sense of the visions in the beacons. I was offered as a sacrifice to the Thorian, Saren needed my biotic to communicate with it. I gave him the cipher" Shiala explained.

"I know this must sound weird, but I need that cipher, so is it possible for you to transfer it to my mind?" Mads asked.

"Yes commander" Shiala said.

Shiala took a few steps forward to Mads and spoke some verse about how we are connected.

"Embrace eternity!" Shiala said with her eyes pitch black.

Several vision flooded Mads' brain, they made more sense that the previous ones, but still hard to explain and understand. Mads came back into the physical world and quickly got his bearings again.

Shiala looked at him with confusion.

"I have given you the cipher, just as it was given to Saren. The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now" Shiala explained.

"Commander, are you alright?" Tali asked.

"I'm fine, I suppose I just need time to comprehend it" Mads replied.

"Indeed commander, it is a large bit of information." Shiala added.

"That leaves only you Shiala. What are you going to do now?" Mads asked.

"If you will allow it, I would like to help the colony get back on its feet" Shiala said.

"A noble course, I'll allow it" Mads said.

The team went back up the stairs to the colony. Mads shared a couple of words with Jeong and Juliana. Shiala had settled in with them. Mads gave the mods to Gavin Hossle. Just when Mads was about to leave, he saw a guitar over by one of the prefabs. The owner was just beside it. Mads walked up to him.

"May I?" Mads asked as he pointed to the guitar.

"Please do, it's been too long since this colony had any sort of music." The man accepted with a smile.

Mads took the guitar and sat on a crate, he played a couple of notes to get a feel of the guitar. Mads then decided to play a Russian song. He even sang in Russian.

" _The epaulettes haven't been torn off_

 _And the regiments have not been shot._

 _The field by the river isn't red yet,_

 _But yellow._

 _They are young, and old_

 _But their fate is decided._

 _They are still not generals,_

 _And the war is not yet lost._

 _They have at hand only a short time_

 _For violent glory and victory,_

 _Pretty girls_

 _Follow and watch them with delight._

 _And at the victory parades_

 _They wait for their rewards and their promotions_

 _But these scenes are sadly ill-fated_

 _And these faces are haggard._

 _Bloody, intoxicating,_

 _Sing, howl like a wolf!_

 _My homeland,_

 _What are you doing to me?_

 _Photo albums are burning_

 _In hot fireplaces in the corner._

 _From the walls of the Ipatievsky House_

 _Fear is already dripping._

 _The Messiah has already come down from the heavens_

 _And his thoughts are clean._

 _Russia will bear its great cross_

 _Thinking of newer crosses._

 _Yesterday they were refined dandies_

 _Today they are knights at war_

 _They are not yet emigrés,_

 _They are still her sons._

 _But life trickled away, as if it had never been_

 _Without a trace._

 _On the horizon their guiding star was shining._

 _Bloody, intoxicating,_

 _Sing, howl like a wolf!_

 _My homeland,_

 _What are you doing to me?_

 _The last shot at the heart has been fired,_

 _Never-ending goodbye glances_

 _But the diaries of their loving wives_

 _Will resurrect them for their descendants._

 _Oh God, what will happen to us?_

 _When will everything not be in vain?_

 _When will reason not be obscured?_

 _On the tower of the red dawn?_ "

His song seemed to have grabbed everyone attention in the colony, when he was done they all clapped, his team members came up to him.

"What was a lovely song Commander!" Tali remarked.

"Thank you Tali" Mads replied with a smile.

"What was it about?" Garrus asked.

"The Russian civil war. It's about the generals and soldiers on the white side fighting a hopeless battle" Mads explained.

"Let's get back to the ship" Mads ordered, everyone in his team nodded and went with him. Mads gave the guitar back to its owner.

 _Just another day at the office_

 **For those who are wondering, the song Mads played is called: "To the Generals of the Civil War" by Zoya Yashenko**

 **watch?v=F4KUTGFD_s0**

 **Thank you all for your support so far!**


	17. Chapter 16: Citadel

**A/N: Summer break is now over, and so is back to school for me. I don't know if I can continue to update weekly like I have done for the last couple of weeks, but I will try my hardest. I would like to thank all for their reviews, even if I don't respond, I still read all of them. And I'm finally done with my damn driver's license!**

 **Now back to the story.**

* * *

 **25/4 2183**

The team walked back into the Normandy, before they went their separate ways, Mads spoke up.

"Debriefing in an hour, grab a bite or take a shower if you want" Everyone nodded in response.

Mads made his way to his quarters. It was still a nice living space, even if a bit small.

 _Home Sweet Home._

Well Mads did own an apartment in St. Petersburg, but he was hardly ever there, so he considered the Normandy to be his home for now.

Mads quickly changed into a more casual uniform, but not before taking a quick shower. He dwelled on the events of the day. It could be considered a huge success, not only was the colony saved, but he had gained new information regarding Saren and his flagship Sovereign. Everything was just so off about that vessel, it could not be Geth made; the design was so different than everything else that they produced.

Mads looked over to his desk to see the Geth rifle he picked up on Feros, he had to report his findings back to the alliance, if the alliance could adopt a similar system regarding thermal clips, they would gain a huge advantage in this war. He decided he would show his findings once they returned to the Citadel.

Mads took his pack of cigarettes and pulled out one, he then placed it in his mouth and took out his zippo lighter and lighted the cigarette. Nicotine ran through his blood, washing away all worries for a moment, he then looked at the clock and noticed it was still 30 minutes to the debriefing. Mads opened his playlist on his Omni-tool and picked a random song.

 _Post Malone - Congratulations. Good choice._

 _They said I wouldn't be nothing  
Now they always say congratulations_

Mads spent the next 25 minutes just relaxing and tried to piece together the huge amount of information he gained by melding with the Shiala. The vision was now clearer, but still far from telling a complete story. Whatever it was, it was definitely grim.

Mads then walked out of his quarters and up the stairs and into the Comms room, where the team usually had debriefings after major missions. He was pleased to find his entire team waiting in the room, all busy talking to each other about causal things.

Liara was the first to notice him.

"Commander, are you feeling alright?" Liara asked.

"Still trying to piece it all together, it is quite overwhelming" Mads answered.

"If you like, we could try to link minds; I could organize the information for you" Liara proposed.

"Interesting, I suppose it's worth a try" Mads replied while standing up, Liara did the same and they met in the middle of the room.

"Relax Commander, Embrace eternity" Liara said as her eyes turned pitch black.

The meld was short, but it felt like Liara was in there forever. Was she poking around inside his mind?

* * *

Liara thought she could control what information to look through, but she accidentally fell upon a memory.

The air was warm; the surrounding landscape seemed to be sand and hills. It seemed to be some sort of camp. She was looked through the eyes of the Commander.

 _This must be on earth, but where on earth?_

The people around Mads were speaking a foreign language, but Mads' mind seemed to have an understanding of this language, so everything was translated for her.

A soldier spoke up.

"Damn, 20 days without any actions! This is just like walking around inside an oven with nothing to do!"

"Pray that it continue to be as such! I do not wish to take the lives of innocent people" Another spoke.

"Grow a pair Durov, we're out here trying to make peace. It's war, people die" A third man replied. Mads' mind recognized this person as Victor Bespalov.

"Let the man keep himself sane Victor, it's more than most of us can claim" Mads said, Victor just rolled his eyes.

Mads then sat down and began to check his weapon. To Liara, this weapon looked ancient, nothing like the technology that the galaxy had today. Liara was greatly confused.

"It's grim to think that those terrorists are willing to use human shields, what have we been reduced to?" A private asked.

"Welcome to 2017, pal" Victor answered.

 _Wait, 2017? Oh goddess, but it can't be._

Liara was baffled, but it all made sense. The commander weird behavior, his clothing style, his choice in weapons. He was over 166 years old! But how? Humans only lived to be around 150 if they are lucky, but by then they looked only a little above skin and bones. The commander had a flawless body, except for his scars.

Liara watched the memory further; she noticed the commander weren't wearing gloves, on his hands were tattoos. Was that why he was wearing gloves all the time? Why would he shield his tattoos?

Liara hated to admit it, but curiosity got the better of her. She looked for a more recent memory, one that could explain why all this was so.

She got her answer, she watched it all. How he tried to save his best friend, but then everything went black. Then waking up inside a life support tank, the feeling of being surrounded by water, trying to escape. Finding out that your entire family is dead, that everything you ever was, was now gone. Liara was saddened by this, a tear rolled down her cheek. She took a few moments to collect herself before doing what she was actually supposed to do.

The vision and information was also overwhelming for her, it took a lot of energy to get a bearing of it. She could feel that she had done all she could do, hopefully the commander didn't notice her sneaking into his past.

The meld ended.

* * *

"That made it a bit clearer, nice work Liara" Mads complimented.

"Thank you commander, it seems to be a warning, sent out all across the Prothean Empire. A desperate calls to arms" Liara commented.

"I see, do you think it's because of the reapers?" Mads asked.

"It may well be. But nothing is for certain yet" Liara replied. Suddenly she felt a terrible fatigue wash over her. She let out a sigh and brought a hand to her forehead.

"You alright Liara?" Mads asked.

"I'm fine, the meld seems to have worn me out, I probably need to lie down" Liara said, trying to ensure him that she was alright.

"Check in with Dr. Chakwas." Mads said. Liara did not want to debate right now, so she just nodded.

"That all folks, you're all dismissed, so you won't have to witness me banging head with the council" Mads said. Everyone got out and left.

Mads let a deep sigh. He knew Liara saw something she was not meant to see, he would have to confront her, when he had the time. For now she needs rest.

Mads turned on the hologram and the three councils appeared.

"Commander, Exo-Geni should have told us about the Thorian, it would have made your live easier" Councilor Tevos said.

"I know companies such as them; they won't give up such information for the world" Mads replied.

"Even so, do you believe that it was necessary to kill the thorian? We could have researched it" Councilor Valern asked.

"Exo-Geni tried to do just that, look how that turned out. The thorian had the power to enslave everyone who got close enough, even the Prothean fell victim." Mads said.

"At least the colony was safed" Councilor Tevos commented.

"Of course, Romanov would go to any length to save a human colony" Councilor Sparatus remarked.

 _Fuck off you dumb cunt_

"I'll save anyone who is in trouble, you can take that attitude and shove it up your ass" Mads said, he hated that he broke his diplomatic face, but the Councilor did in some sense deserve it.

"Commander! There is no need for that language." Councilor Tevos said.

Mads simply rolled his eyes.

"We look forward to your next mission report." Councilor Valern said. The council then blacked out.

 _Bunch of self-_ _righteous idiots. I'll show them all_ Mads thought to himself as he walked out of the room. Mads planted a marker on the citadel and Joker quickly plotted a course.

Mads went back down to his quarters and resumed dwelling on the information Liara had organized for him. But he was more worried about her venture inside the deeper parts of his mind; He had to tell her not to tell anyone. But he would do that in the morning. Mads threw himself on the bed, and went to sleep not long after.

* * *

 **26/4 2183**

 **Normandy**

The Normandy was currently on route to the citadel. Mads woke up slowly and quickly got dressed after a quick shower. He looked at the clock to see he had slept for about 8 hours. He decided now was a good time to speak to Liara.

Mads went out of his quarters and grabbed a cup of coffee and walked over to the med bay. He found Dr. Chakwas sitting at her station.

"Hey Doctor, do you ever sleep?" Mads asked, a vague attempt at humor. It did however ever have the desired effect of making the doctor chuckle.

"I always need to be ready commander, but I'm still human. I just sleep when most people are asleep" Chakwas said.

"Is Liara feeling okay?" Mads asked.

"I believe so, she just needed rest" Chakwas answered.

"Can I speak to her?" Mads asked further.

"By all means" Chakwas replied as she turned around to her terminal.

Mads opened the door to Liara's room to find her sitting at her desk. Mads remained in the door frame.

"Hello Liara, can we speak?" Mads asked.

"Of course commander" Liara replied as she stood up.

Mads closed the door behind him and approached Liara.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright; it was just a little fatigue. I'm amazed by Dr. Chakwas' knowledge on Asari."

"She's the best. Liara, I need to ask you a question" Mads said, he turned from a cheerful tone to a more serious one.

"Of course Commander"

"Yesterday when we melded, you saw more than the prothean vision didn't you?" Mads asked.

"I didn't mean to Commander! It was an accident" Liara said in a sad tone.

"What did you see?" Mads asked coldly.

"I-I saw what made you who you are today. I know you are over 166 years old, I'm so terrible sorry!" Liara let a small tear roll down her cheek.

Mads let out a defeated sigh. He rubbed his forehead with one of his hands.

"Liara there is a reason I have not told anyone about it. This-" Mads let his hand run along his large scar on the right ride of his head.

"Is the worst thing to ever happen to me. It stole everything from me, took everything I was and would ever be" Mads said

"I agreed with myself to start over, after I was done with my mourning. I would like you to keep this secret for me" Mads continued.

"Of course Commander, I never meant to do it. For what's its worth, I'm sorry" Liara said.

"Me too" Mads said as he left the room.

 _I hope she can keep this quiet_

* * *

 **28/4 2183**

 _ **The Citadel**_

The Normandy docked at the alliance dock. They were now back. Mads had given the entire team shore leave while he took care of some business. He had only left the Normandy when he ran into an Admiral.

Mads quickly stood at attention and saluted the Admiral.

"Commander Romanov, it's good to see you"

"Like wise Admiral, If I had known you would be visiting us, I would have prepared a welcome party" Mads joked. The admiral chuckled.

"No need Commander. I'm Rear Admiral Mikhailovich" Mikhailovich Said.

" _Mikhailovich? Are you Russian?"_ Mads asked in Russian.

" _I am, I didn't know you knew Russian"_ The admiral replied.

" _I was born in St. Petersburg. What is your business here?"_ Mads asked.

" _I'm here to inspect this piece of overrated garbage"_ Mikhailovich pointed to the Normandy.

" _Overrated? I assure you Admiral that the Normandy lives above and beyond everyone's expectations"_ Mads replied.

" _Then let me see for myself"_ Mikhailovich requested.

" _Be my guest"_ Mads said.

The rear admiral spent a good 20 minutes inspecting the ship. Mads waited patiently outside. The Admiral finally appeared.

" _I'm not liking what I've seen Romanov"_ Mikhailovich stated.

" _I'm sorry to hear that. Anything in particular you didn't like?"_ Mads asked.

" _I don't understand why the captain's post is located in the back, rather than the middle. What if the Captain need to pass on an order to somewhere in the middle or far end?"_ Mikhailovich asked.

" _Turian design Admiral. They believe that the Captain should watch over the entire crew. We wanted to test just how effetely that is"_ Mads replied.

" _Shouldn't that be tested in labs?"_ Mikhailovich asked.

" _The best test, is a field test. So far is been working good"_ Mads answered.

The spent the next couple of minutes debating the usefulness of the Normandy, in the end the Admiral seemed to have an entirely different opinion. Telling the Commander that the report won't be as negative as he thought.

Mads took the elevator down the C-sec academy. Only to be ambushed by a reporter upon his arrival.

Mads spent more precious time speaking to the reporter, who kept trying to expose the Commander and make him look bad, but he was able to keep his cool. In the end the reporter looked like an idiot.

Mads walked to the council chambers to meet admiral Kahoku, to tell me the grim news of his squad. He found him standing at terminal right beside the stairs to the chambers.

"Good day Admiral" Mads said as he saluted Kahoku. The Admiral turned around and did the same.

"Commander Romanov, what a pleasant surprise. Did you look into the thing I asked you to?" Kahoku said.

"Yes Admiral, I afraid I bring bad news. Your squad was wiped out by a Thresher maw" Mads handed the admiral the tags of all the deceased soldiers.

"Really? But how?" Kahoku asked.

"Someone placed a beacon to lure them there. I'm not sure who. This was what I was able to get from it" Mads handed the admiral some data. The Admiral thanked Mads and they said their farewells.

 _Next stop: The ambassador's office_

The walk was not long; Mads soon saw the familiar sight of the embassies. Then just a short walk the flight of stairs to Udina's office.

Udina was sitting at his terminal, being grumpy as usual. Captain Anderson was sitting at the couch. As soon as Mads entered the room, Anderson stood up.

"Romanov! It's good to see you" Anderson as they shared a hug.

"Romanov" Udina acknowledged his presence.

"Captain, Ambassador. It's good to see you both" Mads greeted.

"What is in the box?" Anderson asked. He was referring to the crate Mads had carried from the Normandy.

"It's a weapon revolution. It's a discovery me and my crew did during our mission on Feros" Mads took the crate over to Udina's desk.

Mads pulled out a geth rifle from the crate. It was clear that Udina was uneasy at the commander wielding a weapon. Mads presented it to Anderson.

"The geth have adopted thermal clips for their weapons. Bypassing the problem of overheating, the rate of fire goes greatly up. It works much like reloading." Mads said as he showed the process of ejecting and inserting a clip.

"This could be very useful! Nice discovery Romanov, I'll send this to the alliance right away." Anderson said as he padded Mads on the back.

"Thanks Captain. I have to depart now, but thanks for your time" Mads said.

"Where are you headed?" The captain asked.

"Most likely Noveria, either that or some clean up duty. I'll decide when I'm back at the Normandy" Mads answered.

"Alright, take care out there. By the way, nice work on Feros" Anderson said with a smile.

"Thank you Anderson, you take care now" Mads said as he left the room, not even wanting to say goodbye to the ambassador.

Mads left the embassies feeling a little better, Anderson really was like a father, someone who didn't demand a whole lot of him, and was proud of him. The whole way back to the Normandy, Mads had a smile on his lips.

As soon as Mads boarded the Normandy. Mads received a call from Admiral Kahoku.

"Commander, I got an update on the beacon. I need your help"

 ** _*Sigh*_ **


	18. Chapter 17: Cerberus

**28/4 2183**

"I'm on it" Mads said to the hologram. Admiral Kahoku disappeared from view.

Mads let another sigh. Apparently the organization named Cerberus was behind placing the Beacon there. Mads had read about them a long time ago, a group whose sole purpose was to ensure Human dominance in this galaxy. They were giving humanity a bad name.

Admiral Kahoku had located several Cerberus labs on the planet Binthu. Mads had agreed to locate and destroy them. It seemed the admiral had already traveled to the planet, by himself none the less. Mads went down to his quarters to suit up.

The process was quick and easy, the final touch was the 44. Magnum in his thigh holster. Mads went down to the cargo hold. Finding everyone at their usual stations. Mads figured he still had a little time, so he would chat up some of them.

"Hey Wrex!" Mads greeted as he walked over to the large Krogan.

"Romanov" Wrex said. Why did Krogan always sound so cold?

"Can I ask you something?" Mads asked.

"Sure thing" Wrex said.

"What made you finally turn your back against the krogan?" Mads asked.

"Jarrod" Wrex answered.

"Who was that?" Mads asked.

"An old Krogan warlord, someone who fought in the Krogan rebellions. A man with ideas as old as him" Wrex replied.

"I suppose you disagreed with him then?" Mads asked further.

"He believed we should continue fighting, I insisted that we focus on breeding. Eventually he invited me to a crush, a meeting on neutral ground" Wrex said unemotionally.

"Let me guess, it was a trap. You figured that out right?" Mads asked.

"Indeed, but you don't just turn your father down" Wrex said.

"Damn, my condolences. Your own father turned on you?" Mads asked.

"Not right away, as soon as he saw I wasn't going to come around to his ideas, he made his warriors jump from the graves of our ancestors. He killed almost all of my men" Wrex explained.

"I see you got away" Mads commented.

"Yes, but not before placing a dagger in his chest. The old fool did do me one favor, he opened my eyes" Wrex remarked.

"How so?" Mads asked.

"That our species is doomed, there are too many Krogan like him, who won't stop fighting. If breeding doesn't go up soon, the Krogan population will die out" Wrex said.

"You got anything to remember him by?" Mads asked.

"I did, I had some family armor. I promised my grandparents to keep it safe. Now a weapon collector got it" Wrex said.

"You know where this weapon collector is?" Mads asked.

"I got the location of several of his warehouses. Romanov I can't ask you to do this" Wrex tried to talk him out of it.

"Don't worry Wrex, we'll check it out when he have the chance" Mads said with a smile as he padded the large Krogan on his back. Mads turned to walk away, but Wrex spoke up.

"Romanov"

"Yes?"

"I want to be there when we find it" Wrex said. Mads let out a small laugh.

"It would be weird otherwise" Mads said as he walked over to Ashley.

Ashley was focusing completely on her work. She did not notice Mads coming up to her.

"Hey Ashley, what's up?" Mads asked. Ashley made a small jump in shock.

"Jesus Christ Commander, you scared me" Ashley said as he calmed down.

"Wasn't my intention, you cleaning the weapons again?" Mads asked.

"Yes sir, though I'm almost done" Ashley said.

"Ash, can I ask you something?" Mads asked.

"Of course" Ashley replied.

"Your grandfather was General Williams who defended Shanxi, right?" Mads asked.

Ashley let out a deep sigh.

"I figured you would find out sooner or later. I suppose the Williams curse hits me again" Ashley said.

"Williams curse?" Mads asked.

"Ever since my grandfather surrendered at Shanxi, my family has never been able to rise very high in the alliance; most people are still disappointed in his actions." Ashley said.

"I figured his move to be smart and necessary, otherwise we would be standing with another Stalingrad" Mads replied.

"Stalingrad?" Ashley asked.

"You heard about World War 2 right?" Mads asked.

"Only a little, I was never much interested in history" Ashley said.

"In august of 1942, the Germany 6th army entered the soviet city of Stalingrad. Hitler considered it to be a hit on the morale of the Soviet soldiers, since the city's namesake was the current rule dictator of the Soviet Union. As winter hit and the Germans were on a general retreat, the soviet army slowly surrounded the city. Friedrich Paulus called Hitler and begged him to allow the 6th army to retreat, but Hitler wouldn't have it, he told Paulus that the army would be getting food and ammunition from the air force. Spoiler alert, they didn't. Eventually the soviets surrounded the city completely, the bloodiest battle ever happened. In the end Hitler lost both Stalingrad and the German 6th army. It is considered to be the turning point in ww2" Mads explained. Ashley took a minute to take it all in.

"In a sense, your grandfather saved that colony. I will never punish you for who your grandparents are, I know what that feels like" Mads said.

"How so?" Ashley asked.

"Ever heard of the Romanovs?" Mads asked.

"No" Ashley answered bluntly.

"Former ruling dynasty of Russia. One of my ancestors screwed up big time, the entire country was in ruins at the end of ww1. He made sure our family was exiled and hated for centuries in Russia. There are still people who spit on my name" Mads explained.

"Wow, I didn't know that commander. I suppose we are more alike than we care to admit." Ashley remarked.

"I know, just know you are never alone." Mads said as he padded her on the back.

Mads slowly made his way over to Garrus, who (Once again) was busy trying to upgrade the Mako. He had used a roller to check the Mako's underbody. He too hadn't noticed Mads approaching.

As soon as Mads was right beside the turian, he kicked the roller. Garrus quickly reacted by hitting his head at the underbody of the Mako. Mads busted out laughing, several crew members joined in.

 _I'll get you for that Romanov_ Garrus thought to himself as he stood up.

Mads felt like he was going to die from laughter, until he finally got it under control.

"It's all cool bro" Mads said as he padded him on the back.

Garrus was still rubbing his forehead where he had head-butted the underbody.

"Yeah, real funny. What are you doing down here?" Garrus asked.

"Came to check on your all. We are hitting Binthu, where we will dismantling a human terrorist cell" Mads said.

"I see, does this terrorist organization have a name?" Garrus asked.

"Cerberus" Mads said.

"I heard about them, a nasty bunch" Garrus said.

"Ever had some nasty cases as a C-sec officer?" Mads asked.

"Yes, I had several" Garrus answered.

"Anyone in particular stand out?" Mads asked.

"Well there was this one case. A Salarian doctor who stole people's organs" Garrus replied.

"Damn, what was his name?" Mads asked.

"His name was Dr. Saleon. He ran a clinic; he grew organs inside his own employees. I remember a certain Turian we interviewed; his entire organ region was a mess. The doctor only payed them a small percentage of the price" Garrus explained.

"What organs did he sell, just livers and such?" Mads asked.

"Yeah, that and Krogan testicles" Garrus said.

"Krogan testicles? Mads asked.

"Yeah, a lot of Krogan believe that a new pair of testicles cures them of the genophage. That's bullshit of course, but that doesn't stop them from buying them. They'll pay up to 10.000 for a single testicle, that's 40.000 for a full set" Garrus said.

"I'm in the wrong business" Mads commented.

"Agreed" Garrus said.

"Did you catch the doctor?" Mads asked.

"No, we tried to arrest him at his lab, but he had already made his way to a vessel. He was about to leave the Citadel, when we tried to take him in, he threaten us by saying he had hostages. I told them to shoot down the ship, but c-sec would have none of it, instead he got away" Garrus said.

"Damn, that's rough and now he is out there continuing his work?" Mads asked.

"Indeed, I believe so" Garrus said.

"That's sick, you know his current whereabouts?" Mads asked.

"I kept tabs on him; he changed his name to Dr. R. Heart, probably some sick joke. He purchased a vessel by the name of MSV Fedele. C-sec of course didn't believe me" Garrus replied.

"You where this vessel is right now?" Mads asked.

"Yes, but are you sure you want to do this?" Garrus asked in return.

"Of course, I don't want such a man to roam around the universe" Mads replied.

"Alright, I'll send the coordinates to you, but I want to be there when you find him" Garrus said.

"Of course" Mads said.

Mads walked into the room of the drive core, finding all of the engineer crew hard at work to maintain it. Chief engineer Adams was the first to notice him.

"Commander, how are you?"

"I'm good, just checking on the crew before going planet side. How are things down here?" Mads asked.

"All good, everything is running good. Tali has been excellent at her work, she even found a way to bypass some of the routine checkups we usually did" Adams explained.

"She did?" Mads asked.

"Indeed, quite a capable engineer" Adams replied.

"HHmmmm, I suppose I need to go thank her. Nice work down here Adams, if you need something, don't hesitate to ask" Mads said.

"I'll keep that in the back of my head commander. Good luck on your mission" Adams said.

"Thanks!" Mads said as he walked over to Tali.

"Hey Tali!" Mads greeted.

"Hey Commander! How are you?" Tali asked, thrilled that the commander had come down to her.

"I'm doing just great. A little birdie told me that you reduced the time it takes for some of the routine checkups" Mads replied.

"Little birdie?" Tali asked in confusion.

"Engineer Adams" Mads replied.

"But he is human, not a bird" Tali was still confused. Mads just let out a chuckle.

"Old human expression, usually when you don't want to disclose how you got a certain information" Mads said with a smile.

"Why would you withhold that type of information?" Tali asked.

"No particular reason, just thought it sounded good" Mads said.

"I see, but yes, me and the other engineers figured out some way to make it go a little quicker" Tali said.

Mads pulled up his omni tool and typed in a few commands. A second later Tali's omni tool beeped. The information on the omni tool shocked her. The commander had just sent her 1000 credits.

"Commander! Why did you just send me 1000 credits?" Tali asked, still trying to calm herself down.

"A bonus for good work" Mads remarked with a smile.

Tali said nothing, instead she gave him a hug.

"I don't think I ever had this much money" Tali commented.

"If you keep up the good work, there is plenty more where that came from" Mads promised.

"Thank you Commander, for everything" Tali replied.

"No need to thank me. By the way, be ready in ten minutes for deployment" Mads said. It wasn't until now that Tali noticed the commander had his armor on.

"I'll be ready" Tali said.

"Jolly good!" Mads said as he walked out of engineering.

Ten minutes went by; Tali came walking up to the Mako. Mads and Garrus was busy chatting.

"Look Garrus, all I'm trying to say is that sometimes, to find yourself, you have to lose control" Mads said. Tali hadn't heard the first part of the chat.

"I don't like not being in control" Garrus muttered.

"Neither do I, but that's sometimes what it takes" Mads remarked as he noticed Tali.

"Exellent, we are all here. Quick rundown: Rear Admiral Kahoku has located several labs of a known terrorist organization. While the old fool decided to travel there by himself, we'll try to take down all of these labs and their sick experiments" Mads ordered.

"What terrorist organization are we talking about?" Tali asked.

"Their name is Cerberus, a nasty bunch. Keep close and we might just get out alive" Mads ordered, he was interrupted by Joker.

"We are approaching the evil lair of Cerberus, be ready"

"That's our signal, come on" Mads said as he stepped into the Mako.

Tali and Garrus followed suit. The Cargo doors opened, the team prepared for the freefall.

The feeling of falling through was still uncomfortable, but they were slowly getting used to it. When the Mako finally landed, Mads spoke up.

"How about a little music fellas?" Mads asked.

"I don't see why not" Garrus said.

50% of the votes was all Mads needed.

Mads quickly navigated his Omni-Tool to find a good song.

 _Watt - Burning Man [Feat Post Malone]_

 _Baby, got the beat that won't stop the feeling, get stronger  
Baby, got the hand that keeps feeding me, no more hunger  
Get high, get lost in paradise  
This feeling's all we got tonight  
Baby, I'm a burning man, baby  
Burning man, baby_

Tali and Garrus both seemed to like the song. Mads was glad that he could bring a little 21st century music to this galaxy.

The Team drove to the nearest base, there was three in total. Several turrets were placed outside, but they stood no chance against Mads' driving skills and Garrus' Marksman skills. Mads powered down the Mako and hopped outside. Tali and Garrus followed him. Mads waited at the entrance.

"They likely know we are here, so we take this nice and slow." Mads equipped his shotgun and nodded to Tali and Garrus. He opened the door and threw in a flashbang. Mads then jumped down. Mads was surprised at just how well armed these terrorists were, several of them were biotics. The fight was brutal, but in the end Mads, Garrus and Tali was victorious.

They then noticed the large cage guarded by biotic barriers; some weird creature seemed to be in there. Mads tried to study it, while Garrus and Tali searched the room.

Garrus was checking out the several crates scattered around the room, while Tali took a look at the monitors. Tali unfortunately slipped on some of the Cerberus employee's blood and hit a button she wasn't supposed to.

Mads heard the sound of Tali slipping and looked to her location. Mads however pulled his eyesight back to the cage as he heard a high pitched scream coming from that area, just then did Mads noticed there no longer was a barrier between him and the creature.

"дерьмо!" Mads muttered to himself as he reached for his 44. Magnum. The creature tried to launch an attack, but Mads managed to dodge it. The creature was killed easily by a few bullets. Mads now had the chance to take a closer look at the beast.

"Commander! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Tali asked in a desperate and sad voice.

"I'm good, but check this out" Mads said reassuring her.

"What is it?" Tali asked.

"Doesn't look like any creature I have ever seen" Garrus commented.

"I got a feeling about the species, but I hope to god I'm wrong" Mads replied.

"What is it?" Garrus asked.

"I have read about most species ever discovered, I also took a look at extinct species. I believe this may very well be Rachni" Mads said. Tali and Garrus couldn't believe their own ears.

"Sprits, but it can't be" Garrus remarked.

"Cerberus must have found some way to bring them back." Mads said as he drew a blood sample and took some pictures of the dead beast. The team then flagged this lab as cleared. They went back up to the Mako and drove to the next location.

The next location's security detail was no different than the lab before, be this time it seemed to be... Rachni babies? The terminal at the place called them Rachni workers, they were like big cockroaches. When the place was cleared, they proceed to the next place.

The last place contained something that looked like the Thorian creepers on Feros, once again the place was cleared rather quickly by the team. As the team cleared the building, they were greeted by a rather grim sight as the entered one of the rooms.

On the floor lied a man with the uniform of an alliance rear admiral, Mads knew right then and there who it was. He walked over to the corpse of Admiral Kahoku, and quickly made a cross on his chest; Mads closed the eyes of the deceased Admiral.

"Rest easy Kahoku, the lord shall have mercy on you" Mads said.

Mads took a few minutes to study his corpse, he seemed to have been drugged with something that killed him in the end.

 _You died a martyr admiral; I hope you find your squad in heaven_ Mads thought.

Just as Mads was about to leave, Tali poked him on his shoulder. Mads turned around.

"Commander, I'm sorry" Tali said.

"Me too Tali, let's just hope the alliance will give these Cerberus bastards what they deserve. Come on, let's get back to the Normandy" Mads said. Tali and Garrus nodded.

They were picked up alongside the Mako and were now drifting in space.

Mads went straight into his cabin and pulled out a cigarette from his pack. His used his lighter to light it up, afterwards he sunk into his stair, he had opened up a document. He had to file a report on the events of the day. It was hard, he knew the admiral on a personal level, he was one of the first to arrive at Elysium. Mads spent a good long time just staring at the screen before beginning.


	19. Chapter 18: Family armor

**A/N: Hey Pals.**

 **I wanted to do a little shameless self-promotion for my other story: The Galaxy under an Iron Heel**

 **It's about what would happen if the Nazis discovered the ruins on Mars and were able to travel beyond the stars. The story is still in is baby stage, and I'm still not sure what direction I will take it in.**

 **It's a crossover between Wolfenstein and Mass Effect.**

 **I told you last chapter that updates might be a bit slow going forward, but I recently found myself struck by enthusiasm to write again, must be all the cigarettes I smoke.**

 **Back to the story.**

* * *

 **29/4 2183**

Mads' eyes slowly began to open; he quickly realized he had fallen asleep in his chair. As he began to sit upright in the chair, he felt a bit of pain in his back. The chair was far from a comfortable sleeping location, he stretched out to solve the problem, he looked on his terminal and was pleased to see he finished the report yesterday; he quickly skimmed it through to look for errors in his spelling or grammar.

When he was done, he clicked sent. It showed a small animation of a letter being packed and shipped. Mads stretched out some more and decided to grab a quick shower. When he was done, he quickly equipped his uniform. He decided now was a good time to get something to eat.

Mads found Kaiden sitting at the mess table alongside some servicemen. Mads went over to them and sat down.

"Hey Commander, did you sleep well?" Kaiden asked as he noticed the commander.

"I fell asleep in my chair, damn paperwork is going to be the death of me some day" Mads joked.

Kaiden let a quick laugh. "I suppose so, only paperwork is a match for the red eagle" Kaiden said.

"What's on the menu?" Mads asked.

"Standard MRE's and some cornflakes" Kaiden answered.

"I'll take the cornflakes" Mads said as he reached for the pack of cornflakes and a gallon of milk.

* * *

Garrus had been planning this since yesterday's incident in the cargo hold. Garrus had managed to find some Turian coffee, with humans being levo and Turian being dexo, most humans would spit it out. The only missing component was a human serviceman to deliver the coffee to him; otherwise Mads would know that Garrus was playing a gag on him.

Garrus managed to brew the coffee in secret; he now waited for the perfect victim. A human female walked by, Garrus believed her to work on the CIC hallway. This was perfect.

"Hey! What's your name?" Garrus asked, trying to sound as friendly and natural as possible.

"Mathilda, why?" The female answered in confusion.

"Can you do me a favor and bring the commander his coffee? There is something that needs my attention down by the Mako" Garrus lied, hoping it was good enough to convince her.

Mathilda simply nodded and took the coffee out of the Turians hand. She went over to the mess table; Garrus took cover behind a wall, waiting for the glorious moment.

* * *

The commander was busy eating his cornflakes, while not really tasting much above cardboard; it was still really nice to eat something. Mads noticed Kaiden was looking at something behind him, Mads turned to see a female crew member with a coffee cup in her hand coming over to them.

The female finally reached the table and put the coffee down in front of Mads, she then spoke up.

"Here is your morning coffee commander" She said. Mads was greatly confused, in his 9 years in the alliance, never once did anyone bring him coffee, but Mads didn't want to be rude.

"Thanks, Mathilda right?" Mads asked as he tried to smell the coffee to check if anything was wrong with it. It would all be in vain of course, Garrus took extra measures to insure that the commander wouldn't notice until it was too late.

"Yes, I'll be leaving now commander" She said a she dismissed herself from the table.

Mads looked over to Kaiden, he had just as a confused face as Mads did. Mads simply shook his shoulders and decided to go forward and try the coffee.

Kaiden saw the moment the coffee hit Mads' tongue, his eyes reveled everything. The coffee was anything but actual coffee, it tasted quite like ass.

Mads spitted the coffee out on his breakfast and on the table. Kaiden and the other servicemen fell back in their seats in a desperate attempt to avoid the fluid.

"What the fuck is this?" Mads asked. Everyone in the room looked at him.

Mads realized who it was when he heard the turian laughter coming from behind the wall.

"DID THAT BIRD JUST FUCKING PRANK ME?" Mads yelled. A few servicemen began to join in on Garrus laughter.

"GARRUS! GET YOUR SORRY ASS OVER HERE SO I CAN KICK IT BACK TO PALAVAN!" Mads yelled as he pointed to the wall he heard the laughter from. Everyone, including Kaiden, was laughing now.

"Fuck this" Garrus said as he ran up the stairs to the CIC.

"GARRUS!" Mads yelled as he ran after him, everyone felt like they were going to die of laughter now.

Mads chased the Turian up the stairs and all the way up the hallway of the CIC, when Garrus realized that he had hit a blind end, he feared for what the commander was going to do. They had made it all the way to the cockpit of the vessel; Joker was rather confused by the current events.

"Garrus, if you wanted to be my co-pilot you should just have asked, although that's not how you sit in a seat" Joker said.

"Shut up Joker, I'm trying to hide from the Commander. Do you see him?" Garrus asked, Joker remained silent.

"Joker! I asked you a question" Garrus said.

"You just told me to shut up" Joker replied. Garrus made a facepalm.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Mads said as he slapped the turian on the back of his head.

"Fuck! That hurt!" Garrus remarked as he rubbed the sore area.

"Suits you right, I ought to throw out the airlock" Mads replied.

"You don't mean that!" Garrus stated.

"Well, no, but it felt good to say" Mads said.

Garrus could feel that he and the Commander had a pretty good relationship, at least in Turian standards

"Joker, how far to Tuntau?" Mads asked.

"About 2 hours, I have to say Commander, you pick the most interesting planets out there" Joker said sarcastically.

"Shove it Joker" Mads said in a not so serious tone.

"Aye aye Sir" Joker replied.

"Keep me posted, otherwise I need to clean this shit up" Mads said as he inspected his own clothes.

"And you'll get the dry cleaners bill" Mads said as he pointed to Garrus. Garrus simply raised his hands above his head.

"Unbe-fucking-lievable" Mads said as he walked back down the CIC.

Kaiden and the other service had already taking the liberty of cleaning the table and cleaning the commander's plate.

"Hey Commander, did you teach Garrus a lesson?" Kaiden asked as he noticed him.

"Yeah, but he got me good. I need to clean this mess up" Mads said as he walked into his room.

Mads let out a deep sigh as he undressed his clothes. For a moment he wondered if he should burn the clothes, but decided against it.

A quick shower was in order and a fresh set of clothes. Mads smoked a cigarette, while going through his email. His mail was now spammed with fan mail, his status rose even further with the liberation of Feros and the recent interview with the reporter who ambushed him. Mads didn't much care for the attention.

Mads went out and got some REAL coffee this time, taking great care to make sure he weren't pranked again.

As Mads finished his coffee and looked through the last important mail, he decided to go check on Wrex, the next stop was the supposed place where his family armor was.

The elevator seemed to be moving extra slow today, Mads figured this must be his unlucky day. Finally the door opened to reveal the same boring scene he saw almost every day. Every day he would walk a routine route when he had the time, he would often spent hours talking with everyone. Wrex usally told him stories about his time as a mercenary (Mads even learned that Wrex had seen Saren before. More evidence that Saren was far from having clean hands), Ashley often talked about her family, love for literature and her faith, it made for some interesting conversations. Garrus would often talk about his frustrations at C-Sec and being buried in red tape. Tali would also talk about her own people and Mads quite enjoyed that, they were all a big family exiled from their home, much like his own, Mads even learned that she was an admirals daughter, Mads had joked that they both were royals then( He had received a slap on his arm from that comment).

No matter what, they had all grown on him; he loved them all and would help them out if need be, like he was going to do now for Wrex.

Mads walked over to the Massive Krogan, he seemed to get ready for the next assignment, a very personal assignment for him.

"Hey Wrex, you ready?" Mads asked as he approached.

"I'm ready to collect what is mine" Wrex answered coldly without turning.

"We'll see" Mads said.

"Romanov, I want to-" Wrex was having trouble finding the right words, what he was about to say was something very few krogan said in their entire lifetime.

"I want to thank you for helping me" Wrex said, still with a stoneface.

"You're quite welcome, maybe one day you help me reclaim the royal jewels of the Romanov family" Mads suggested with a smile. Wrex actually let out a small laugh.

"You humans are so weird, either so egotistical or so eager to help. Not many Krogan will say as much, but I'm glad to have your kind around" Wrex said.

"Thanks Wrex, it means a lot coming from you. Let's get ready, shall we?" Mads asked. Wrex nodded.

"Hey Garrus! You up for another mission?" Mads asked as he walked over to the Mako where Garrus was.

"Do you really need to ask?" Garrus replied.

"One day that is going to bite you in the ass" Mads said.

"I'll be looking forward to it" Garrus joked causing Mads to smile.

Luckily Mads had changed into his combat armor before heading down to the cargo hold. The team loaded up into the Mako, Wrex once again having trouble fitting in, but in the end he succeeded.

"Perhaps I should invest in some butter to make the process a little faster" Mads joked.

"Shut up Romanov" Wrex said from the back seat, it just caused Mads to let out a quick laugh.

Not long after Joker called out on the comms.

"Opening the doors in 3,2,1. You are cleared to go"

"Exellent" Mads said as he drove out of the ramp and quickly landed on the planet surface. Mads opened up a map of the area and picked out the structure he believed to be the warehouse they were looking for.

When they began to near the building, they came under fire from snipers, they didn't really do any real damage to the vehicle, but it was mildly annoying to listen to while driving. Garrus quickly dropped them both when the Mako came close enough.

After the exterior infantry was dealt with, they made their way inside, as soon as they had entered Wrex stopped up.

"This is the place, I can feel it" Wrex said.

"I sure as hell hope so, let's see if this weapon's collector is still around" Mads said as he equipped his assault rifle and took cover behind a door, his team did the same.

A firefight broke out between the guards and the team. These guards had to be low-budget, since they were pretty easy to kill.

Mads managed to nail the weapon collector by hitting him in the stomach. His name was Tonn Actus, a profiteer. Tonn supported himself by sitting upright by a crate, he looked around to see his entire security detail was dead; he cursed his own budget cuts.

Wrex quickly rushed to the backroom, only to find a big vault. Mads and Garrus went to work cracking it open. Wrex impatiently walked around behind them.

"Damn, this is a tough nut to crack. I bet if Tali was here it would have been open long ago" Mads stated.

"You like her, don't you?" Garrus asked while keeping his focus on the vault.

"As a friend and crewmember, yes" Mads answered. He had to admit the question caught him off guard, he had never thought about. She was sweet yes, but she was also a Quarian, why would she even want a human? And weren't she still a child by Quarian standards? Mads hadn't been with a girl in almost 3 years. Each relationship he started in this new age failed because of his duty to the alliance.

Garrus didn't pursuit the topic any further. Instead they both continued their work on the vault. A couple of minutes later the vault was finally opened, it was really the Clan Urdnot armor Wrex had described. Wrex seemed overjoyed to finally be in possession of it.

Tonn was still sitting by that crate when the team came back down from the second floor. Mads decided to check out some of the crates scattered around the room, most of them were Krogan artifacts. One crate caught his attention.

Mads opened it to reveal several human weapons from the 20th-21th century, this made Mads very happy, like a kid in a candy shop.

"I thought you only collected weapons from the Krogans" Mads said as he inspected the first weapon.

"I been branching out, humans are quite interesting too" Tonn said as he grinned his teeth in pain.

The first weapon Mads had taken out was the infamous IMI Desert Eagle. A beautiful piece.

"I always wanted one of these, I once tried out one on a shooting range in America" Mads said as he checked it for faults.

"Do you have any extra holsters lying around?" Mads asked. Tonn didn't answer.

Mads was able to found a leather holster lying in another crate. He straped it to his waist and pulled it around so it was on his back. A backup pistol was always welcome.

The next item was the AA-12 Shotgun, Mads eyes lit up.

"Holy fuck! I always wanted one of these; an AA-12 will definitely tear out some limbs!" Mads said as he took aim with the shotgun.

"This is awesome!" Mads remarked, completely ignoring the cries of pain coming from the Turian lying behind him.

The last item was an Ak-15. Mads had only seen this weapon during its testing, it had not yet been incorporated into the Russian army by Marts 2017.

"This is awesome, it's been so long since I seen anything from the great Kalashnikov. This one wasn't even enrolled back in my day!" Mads only then realized what he just said.

"What do you mean by that?" Garrus asked very confused.

"Well, ehm, I'll tell you later" Mads replied as he changed his focus back to the AK-15.

"You know, people in the Russian army used to engrave their name in the AK, I think it used to be here" Mads said as he began the process of dismantling the AK, as he found the place where his old squad used to write their name, he was in complete shook.

There was a name he hadn't heard in a long ass time.

 _ **Victor Bespalov**_

 _ **Alpha squad**_

 _ **Spetsnaz**_

"Commander, are you okay?" Garrus asked. The commander had been looking at the rifle for almost 3 minutes now without given out any respond.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?" Mads asked as he stormed over to the dying Turian.

"I ain't telling you shit." The turian said as he spit some of his blue blood into Mads' face.

"You want to play games? Alright, I know a fun game" Mads said as he took out his 44. Magnum and emptied all of the bullets expect one. The sounds of the bullets hitting the floor echoed throughout the room.

"You know Russian roulette?" Mads asked. The turian didn't answer.

"Normally 2 players are needed, but today I think we'll have to make do with you. The point is that you have to test your luck. There is a 1/6 chance this gun will go off and kill you, every time I hit the trigger and you don't die, I will ask you a question" Mads said coldly.

"Let's begin" Mads said as he spun the chamber around a couple of times and pointed the gun at Tonn's face.

"Where did you get this gun?" Mads asked.

"I'm not telling you" Tonn said, still as confidant.

Though Tonn closed his eyes as Mads pulled the trigger.

 ***Click***

Tonn did make a small yelp as the sound was heard, but he recovered pretty quickly.

"Where, did, you, get, this, gun?" Mads asked again.

"I found it" Tonn said, he was quite nervous. Mads could look through his lie.

"Bullshit" Mads said as he pulled the trigger again.

 ***Click***

"Who gave it to you?" Mads asked.

"Please, I don't know anything!" The turian was close to crying.

"I'm past believing that" Mads said as he pulled the trigger.

 ***Click***

"Empty" Mads said.

 ***Click***

"Empty again, what are the odds?" Mads asked.

"50/50% chance pal, how lucky do you feel?" Mads asked further.

"Elanos Haliat gave it to me! Alongside the other weapons! Please that's all I know!" Tonn cried out.

"Elanos Haliat? The same cunt who masterminded the Skyllian Blitz?" Mads asked.

"Yes! That's him! He is on Agebinium right now!" Tonn said.

"Thanks" Mads said as he knocked Tonn out cold. He let Wrex decide the Turian's fate; Wrex, of course, killed the man.

The team then walked back out with all the weapons Mads had claimed alongside Wrex's armor. They were picked up by the Normandy shortly thereafter.


	20. Chapter 19: Revenge

**30/4 2183**

Tali was busy during routine check-ups for the drive core, but it was like something was off today. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She then realized that she hadn't received her daily visit from the commander. He would normally come down to talk several times during the day, his way of keeping up with the crew. Tali wondered why this was so. He had seemed distant ever since he came back from that mission with Wrex.

Tali decided not to dwell further on it for now. She worked the remaining hours of her shift, until she went up for some lunch.

As she walked up to the mess table, she found Garrus sitting down eating some Turian food. A few crewmen were sitting on the other end of the table. Tali could see that they were giving her dirty looks, even though the commander did the best to rid the Normandy of xenophobia, there was only so much he could do.

"Hey Garrus!" Tali said as he sat down infront of him.

Garrus looked up from his food.

"Hey Tali, what's up?" Garrus asked stuffing more food in his mouth.

"Not much, I been working on the drive core all day... Do you where the commander is?" Tali asked.

"I believe he is in his quarters, he hasn't come out since we came back from Tuntau, the only thing I heard him say, was his orders to Joker to fly us to the planet Agebinium" Garrus explained.

"What's on Agebinium?" Tali asked as she opened her tube of paste.

"Elanos Haliat I believe" Garrus said.

"Who's that?" She asked.

"The man who made the Blitz possible" Garrus answered.

"Isn't the commander the hero of the blitz?" Tali asked.

"Indeed, is where he got his fame, he held of the pirate attacks until reinforcement came. Elanos Haliat wanted to use the attack to further his own power in the Terminus. Romanov ruined that for him" Garrus explained.

"Is that why he is staying in his quarters?" Tali asked.

"I'm not sure, when we found Wrex's armor, Romanov decided to check out the crates around the warehouse, he found one with old human weapons, like 150 years old or something. He looked like a kid in a candy store, until he stumbled on an assault rifle. He spent some time checking it out, then he looked for something he called initials, apparently something human soldiers did to their weapons back then" Garrus explained, he interrupted himself by taking another bite.

"When he found the initials, he became dead silent; he just observed it for like 5 minutes. Eventually I asked him if everything was alright, he had an outburst on the poor Turian lying wounded on the floor; he wanted answers about how he obtained the gun. Romanov played some kind of gambling game with the Turian, using his handgun. Eventually the Turian spitted out the name Elanos Haliat and Mads knocked him out cold." Garrus said as he took another bite.

"Perhaps someone should check on the commander?" Tali asked, she had been too busy listing to actually eat her own food.

"I already tried earlier, he just told me to fuck off" Garrus replied.

"Perhaps that gun triggered something in him? Perhaps a family gun?" Tali asked.

"That was my first thought too, but while the commander was busy playing with the Turian, I took the time to check out the weapon. The name was ' _ **Victor Bespalov'**_ Not sure who that is." Garrus said.

Tali was also confused by this, who was this man? And why did the commander have an outburst because of his finding his gun? Tali decided to try and check on the commander.

Tali raised herself from the table and began to walk over to his quarters.

"Where are you going?" Garrus asked.

"To check on the commander" Tali said.

"Good luck" Garrus said as he settled back into his seat.

* * *

Mads standing in the middle of his room, on the bed was the AK-15, lying in many separate pieces, Mads had completely disassembled it, a deed not hard to a Russian soldier. Mads had decided to go through every comportment, to check for other clues. He had found a letter, stuck in a place only few people knew about, a place him and Victor had found when first trying out the AK-15.

He folded it out, it was in remarkable condition. He began to read through it.

 _Dear Mads_

 _I know this may be a long shot, in fact it most likely is._

 _I heard rumors around the barracks that you weren't actually dead, instead you were forwarded to some underground government project. I always knew you as someone un-killable, so I believe the theory._

 _Remember when we found this hidden compartment in the AK? It was the same day you made sergeant Emelin trip after tying his shoe laces together; the lecture the Major gave you was even funnier!_

 _We're all missing you; you were what kept us together, the new officer in charge is nothing more than a little whimp. The only reason he even is this far up the military rank is because of his family connections!_

 _If you ever find this, please come back._

 _Regards_

 _Victor_

 _18/5 2017_

Mads fell back into his seat, he never knew this how bad it was for the others to learn of his death, it seemed Victor was a cut above the rest, not wanting to believe what they were told. Mads wished he could go back, go back to serving Mother Russia, to helping his friends. All of this was long gone; a new day had dawned for him.

Mads heard a few knocks on the door, and wondered who it might be.

"Who goes there?" Mads asked.

"It's me Tali!" Tali yelled in order to make sure the message travelled through the thick door.

"What do you want?" Mads asked.

"Just want to talk" She replied.

Mads thought about it for a minute or two, what could be the harm in talking a little? He decided to let her in.

* * *

Only now did Tali realized she never actually have been in his quarters before, it was rather large, or at least large by Quarian standards.

The first thing she noticed was the many parts laying on the bed, the commander must have been taking the weapon apart. She looked around the room, she saw a picture standing on his desk, it seemed to show the commander in some sort of ceremonial uniform, alongside him was several people, the all looked a bit like each other, Tali went closer for further inspection.

"What did you want?" Mads asked. Tali stopped in her tracks.

"I wondered if you were okay, you didn't come down today" She said.

"I'm fine, just some old demons, I prefer not to talk about them" Mads said.

"I see, why did you take the weapon apart?" Tali asked.

"Taking apart a Kalashnikov comes natural to almost all Russians who has served in the army. I wanted to have a closer look on it" Mads said.

"Can you put it back together?" Tali asked.

"Of course" Mads said as he folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He began to assemble the weapon again. It took him only 1 and a half minute.

"How did you do so fast?" Tali asked astonished.

"The Kalashnikov is the backbone of the Russian Army, to know it inside and outside can be a lifesaver. I can show you" Mads proposed.

"I would like that" Tali accepted.

Mads began to take it apart slowly, telling her about each and every part and what there are used for. Tali and Mads spent a good hour just talking about a lot of things. Mads could feel his sadness disappear around her, he forgot about all of his troubles.

"By the way, who are those people on your desk" Tali asked as she pointed to the picture.

Mads was caught off guard by the question.

"It's- It's my parents and my sister and brother" Mads explained, he had originally meant to lie, but the words just flew out of him.

"They look nice" Tali commented as she looked at the picture.

"They were" Mads said, just loud enough for Tali to hear.

"They were?" She asked.

"Well it's a long story, maybe one day I'll tell it" Mads said.

"Thanks for coming up Tali, it's been a blast" Mads said, trying to dismiss her from his room.

"I'll be the one to say thanks commander. By the way I think we are close to our destination" Tali remarked before leaving.

"I'll be up right away" Mads replied as he began to look for his armor.

Though the commander couldn't see it, Tali was smiling. She went down to the cargo hold to prepare.

* * *

Mads walked up to the CIC to check just how far out they were to the Voyager Cluster. Just as he walked up the small platform, a transmission came through from the 5th fleet.

"Commander Romanov, I'm afraid we'll need your help" Admiral Hackett said.

"How may I help?" Mads asked.

"We got a rather unfortunate situation; a nuclear probe from the first contact war had just given us the 'mission complete' signal. This is not a good sign" Hackett explained.

"Damn, where is it located?" Mads asked.

"Voyager Cluster" Hackett said.

"Agebinium?" Mads asked, hoping it was just a convenience.

"Yes, how did you know that?" Hackett asked.

"I have been tracking Elanos Haliat to that rock." Mads answered.

"The same Elanos Haliat who was behind the Blitz?" Hackett asked.

"Yes, it's time for payback" Mads commented.

"Be careful Romanov, this situation is very dangerous; especially since Haliat have a nuke. Treat it with care, I know you can. 5th fleet out" Hackett said.

"30 minutes to Agebinium commander" Joker said over the comms.

"Roger that" Mads said as he made his way down the flight of stairs and into the elevator.

He walked into the elevator and waited patiently for the elevator to arrive. Finally the doors opened, he was glad to find both Tali and Garrus ready for the up-coming mission.

"Hey Commander, ready to go get this Haliat character?" Garrus asked as he noticed the commander.

"This might just be more tricky then we first anticipated. Mr. Haliat might just have a nuke" Mads said.

"A nuke?" Garrus asked in disbelieve.

"Correct, Admiral Hackett just told me that an old and abandoned probe form the first contact war has been recovered by a third party and has been activated again. We need to be careful" Mads explained.

"Keelah" Tali said to herself.

"We are left to disarm this situation, but if you don't want to come, that's understandable, I have been picking you two for my squad for the majority of the time." Mads said.

"I think I speak for us both when we say that we stand behind you every step of the way." Tali said, Garrus nodded. Mads grew a small smile on his face.

"Then let's go get this bastard" Mads said. They both nodded in agreement.

The team got into the Mako and waited for Joker's signal, they spent the remaining time checking to see if all systems were online. They were in fact, and right on que Joker's voice popped up.

"You are cleared to go Commander, don't nuke the entire planet" Joker said to the Mako's comms.

"I'll try to keep that in mind" Mads said as the Mako began to go forward into a free fall.

It seems that all things become normal after a certain amount of exposure. Tali and Garrus didn't really have any negative reaction to the fall of the Normandy this time around.

They slowly began to drive towards the strong signal of the nuclear probe left behind. They finally arrived at a mine.

The team slowly got out of the Mako.

"This seems complete safe, this can't be a trap in any way" Garrus remarked sarcastically.

"This isn't the time to be a smartass, Garrus" Mads replied as he began to walk towards the entrance.

"Are you sure this is wise commander?" Tali asked.

"It's our only option, I believe there is a 95% chance this is a trap, so keep your eyes open" Mads ordered.

"Understood Commander" Tali replied.

The team went down the shaft and deeper into the mine. They found several crates scattered around the mine, they found a door leading into a room from where the signal came from.

Suddenly a loud bang was heard.

"That was a detonator commander" Garrus said.

"No shit Sherlock" Mads said.

"Looks like we are trapped with this here nuke" Mads said as he observed his surroundings.

Then a hologram appeared.

"Commander Romanov, we finally meet" Elanos Haliat greeted.

"Elanos Haliat, you look even uglier then I imagined" Mads replied.

"I'm afraid you can't insult your way out of this commander. You ruined my reputation when you held off my attack! Now every pirate laughs at me! But your death will be my salvation, Commander" Elanos Haliat said.

"I will gut you when I get out of here!" Mads yelled at the hologram, then it disappeared.

The nuke in the corner began to count down; the team only had a short time to disarm it. The trio quickly went to work.

No words were needed, they couldn't afford it. Instead they helped each other disarm the nuke. They managed to disarm it before anything could happen.

"Jesus Christ, that was close" Mads said as they cut the final wire.

"You don't have to tell me that" Garrus said calming himself down from his nerves.

"Let's go get that asshat Haliat" Mads said. They both nodded.

The team managed to find an alternative exit. Mads was pissed, he figured now to be a good time to test out the AA-12.

The team slowly made their way to the pirate camp. Mads put Garrus up on a hill with a sniper to cover for him. Tali was right besides Mads, a 100 meters from the camp.

Mads loaded up the drum magazine in the Auto shotgun. If Mads' theory was correct, the shotgun would bypass their shields, since modern shields did not account for these sized bullets.

"You ready?" Mads asked.

"I am" Tali said, Mads gave her a final nod before charging the pirates.

"UUUUUUURRRRRRRAAAAAAAAA!" Mads yelled as he stormed the camp.

To say the pirates were confused would be an understatement. Many of them tried to equip their guns, but it was too late.

Mads blew off several limbs of each pirate. His theory was true, the pirates were getting slaughtered, and it was a bloodbath. When Mads got eyes on Elanos Haliat, he charged his position.

"Die you filthy worm!" Haliat yelled.

Mads came up right in front of him and aimed the shotgun at him. Haliat tried to flee, a big mistake. Mads blew off Haliat's right foot. Leaving the pitiful human in a pool of his own blood.

"Where did you get this AK-15?" Mads asked.

"A warehouse in Russia, it was on a cargo ship being shipped to a museum on Nova Terra when we intercepted it!" He yelled. Mads was satisfied by his answer.

"I told you I was going to gut you, I always keep my promises, ready to see the Red Eagle's handiwork up close while your life drains from your body?" Mads asked in a menacing voice.

"Please have mercy!" Haliat cried out in pain.

"You showed no mercy to all the soldiers who died on Elysium! Now it's time for your guts to hit the floor!" Mads said while staring directly into Haliat's eyes.

Mads began cutting up the former pirate king, leaving nothing out. The scene similar to that of Jack the Ripper. Haliat's mutilated body would be a horror show to anyone.

"Let's get back to the Normandy" Mads said to Tali as he came back.

"Commander, you have a lot of blood on your armor" She observed.

"Not mine, mr. Haliat is no longer with us" Mads replied.

"I see, yes let's get back" Tali said.

The team met up with Garrus and was picked up by the Normandy not long after.


	21. Chapter 20: Dr Heart

**Hey pals.**

 **I wanted to apologize for the lack of updates. Almost 2 weeks since I last updated this story. I have not given up on it, nor will I. This story is like my firstborn child, I just had to take care of my other story. I been kind of busy in real life too, so that my excuse. I will try to update more often, but no promises.**

* * *

 **1/5 2183**

Mads began to wake up. He began to dwell on the events of the previous day. He took his cigarette pack and decided to have a smoke. Did they deserve it? To be completely torn apart by a powerful shotgun, Germany complained that the Shotgun was immoral during World War 1, if it doesn't kill you; then you are now the host of several pieces of lead. If you're not helped right away, you will lie in a ditch trying to bandage yourself from several points of entry, a meaningless action. It might be immoral, but these pirates and bandits deserve worse.

Mads' conscious is clear as day, not many people can claim as much. Not that some things didn't trouble him, but it was all so far out of his reach. Sometimes he wondered if he really was the right kind of guy for this job. Never did he ever dream of becoming a galactic protector, those roles seemed right out of the movies. Just then did Mads realize that it had been too long since he had seen a good movie, perhaps it was time to watch something, to get his mind of the events of the previous day.

Mads loaded up his terminal and opened up the galactic movie collection, a bit like the Netflix service they had back in his time. How he would spend countless hours watching entire series whenever he wasn't away on military duty, such memory was he fond of. Mads skimmed through the movie collection, it was full of bullshit movies that were nothing but money grabbers, to cash in on a once beloved franchise. It seemed the Aliens too were quite fond of movies, some traits really do carry across species like Kaiden had put it.

Mads loaded up Blasto 2, a movie about a Hanar spectre. Mads chuckled at the thought, not that he wished to be viewed as a racist towards other species. The film was boring to say the least, really bad production value. Mads gave a sigh and decided to keep on looking for a good movie.

Just then did Mads stumble upon an old classic. He didn't know that the aliens liked old human films; well Mads wouldn't call them old.

 _Goodfellas._ A damn good film. Made 2 years before he was born, it was a cult classic. Nostalgia filled Mads' mind, such a masterpiece should be giving screen time again. Mads spent the next 2 and half hour watching the classic.

Mads finally came out of his cave. Once again dressed in his alliance uniform, it's quite a while since he had worn anything other than that or his armor. One of these days he thought about taking a day off and just enjoying the free time, perhaps on the citadel or Earth. But that would have to wait until the Galaxy is safe, or the Turian Saren is in the cold ground. Made gave a small yawn as he went over to the kitchen, where he brewed himself a coffee.

He walked over to the mess table; there he found both Kaiden and Ashley. They were busy chatting each other up. They seemed to get quite friendly with each other.

"Hey you two" Mads greeted as he sat down.

"Hey Commander, why are you first up now?" Kaiden asked.

"Watching an old classic, kind of lost track of time" Mads replied.

"What did you watch?" Ashley asked.

"' _Goodfellas_ ', a legendary film. Have you seen it?" Mads asked back.

They both shook their heads.

"Uncultured heathens" Mads remarked as he sipped some of coffee.

"Guess we better watch it sometime then" Kaiden said as he blinked to Ashley.

"You two are cute" Mads commented as he sipped some more coffee.

"It's not like that Commander" Ashley replied as her cheeks turned red.

"Sure it's not, and we're not hunting down a rouge spectre" Mads replied smiling.

Ashley switched uncomfortably in her seat, afraid the commander might expel her from the mission, since romance wasn't allowed in the alliance.

"If you're afraid I will terminate you Ashley, then you can ease up" Mads said reassuringly.

"I- Thank you commander" Mads gave a quick wink. Then procced to finish his coffee.

"What are you doing today commander?" Kaiden asked.

"Hunting down Dr. Heart" Mads replied.

"Dr. Heart?" Kaiden asked.

"A fugitive hiding from his judgment. A favor for Garrus really" Mads said.

"I see. Well good luck" Kaiden said.

"Thanks, got a feeling I'll be needing it" Mads said as he rose from his seat.

Mads nodded to them before departing for the Elevator. He stretched out a bit, his back giving a crack.

 _Looks like I'm getting old, the next thing will be a receding hairline, oh lord please have mercy on me_ Mads thought to himself, like most men he hated the idea of losing hairs and the remaining turning gray. Though it was bound to happen at some point. Still he was only 33 or 191, depending on how you looked at it, he preferred the former.

The elevator doors opened to reveal the cargo bay. As charming as ever, not that he would have it any other way. There was a peaceful vibe to it. Mads walked over to Garrus, once again busy doing things to the Mako.

"Do you have a fetish for the Mako?" Mads asked as he appeared in Garrus' line of sight.

Garrus gave a quick laughter.

"If I was turned on by the Mako, it would be an even more glorious sight" Garrus replied.

Now it was Mads' turn to give a small laugh.

"I suppose that's true. We are not far out from the good doctor" Mads said as he pressed his back against the Mako.

"So it finally comes to an end" Garrus said.

"We're nearing the end. What will you do?" Mads asked.

"That's easy; I'll butcher him like one of his victims." Garrus answered truthfully.

"Wouldn't it be sweeter to let him rot in a cell?" Mads asked.

"No way, there is a million ways he can escape on our way back." Garrus said.

"How about we make a deal?" Mads asked.

"What kind of a deal?" Garrus asked.

"We will try to arrest him, if he refuses, you can butcher him, I will even lend you the knife" Mads proposed.

"Hmmmm... Alright" Garrus agreed.

"Excellent, get yourself ready, we will board the vessel in about 45 minutes" Mads ordered.

"Will do" Garrus said as he resumed his work on the Mako.

Mads went back to the elevator and took the ride back up to his quarters. He started to clean his 44. Magnum, making sure it would do its job well. There was no telling what kind of things would be on the ship they were about to board, since Dr. Heart didn't have the best reputation. Mads then spent the rest of the time cleaning the newest additions to his weapon collection. These old guns required a lot of maintenance work, but they felt so right in his hands.

Joker's voice came over the comms.

"We got the MSV Fedele in sight commander. It looks abandoned though."

"I'll be right up" Mads said as he slid his 44. Magnum down in his thigh holster.

Mads walked out of his quarters and up the flight of stairs. His hobnails boots echoing throughout the Normandy, his favorite trait in them. Mads greeted Pressly as he walked by, it was high time for another officer meeting, but it would have to wait until this mission was over.

Mads went up to Joker, him being in his usual seat. Busy typing in different controls.

"What's up?" Mads asked.

"It looks abandoned, it's drifting through space and is using almost no power. Sure you want to board?" Joker asked back in a surprisingly serious tone.

"Joker, I didn't know you cared" Mads replied.

"Shut up commander" Joker said as he turned his attention back to his console.

"Call up Garrus, will you?" Mads ordered.

"One moment" Joker said as he active the ships comms.

"All birds report to the bridge" Joker said, then closing the comms.

"He should be up right away" Joker said as he turned his head to Mads.

Mads chuckled. "Good one" He said.

It took a few moments before Garrus arrived.

"You ready?" Mads asked as soon as Garrus was in hearing range.

"Indeed, I'm ready to finish what I started" Garrus replied in a quite serious tone.

"Please don't get carried away, I would prefer you kept your sanity" Mads said.

"I have never been more sane" Garrus replied to his comment in a cold tone.

"We'll see about that" Mads said in with the same amount of coldness.

The Normandy hocked up with the MSV Fedele. Mads and Garrus walked into the airlock and waited for the process to be complete. Finally the doors opened to reveal almost haunting empty hallways.

"Lovely" Mads remarked as he took the first step on the vessel.

"You don't say" Garrus replied.

The walked along the hallway until they reached the door at the end. They had checked all the side rooms, revealing nothing but crates.

"You think the good doctor bailed his own operation?" Mads asked just as they were about to open the door.

"I don't know what I'm going to do if he isn't here" Garrus replied as he opened the door.

They were greeted with a less than pleasing sight. Several humanoid creatures were staring at them, looking a lot like Thorian creepers.

"Fuck me" Mads said as he reached for his shotgun on his back. The creatures began to rush towards them.

Garrus and Mads began to light them up, the sound of shotgun shells hitting the floor echoed throughout the ship as the firefight came to a close. Mads pulled his shotgun barrel up to his face and blew away the small stream of smoke coming from the barrel.

Mads squatted down and began to take a closer look at these creatures. Luckily the shotgun had already opened up their skin to reveal the organs inside.

"Dr. Saleon's handiwork?" Mads asked as he took a close look at the extra organs inside the creature.

Garrus squatted down beside him and took a look at the mess before him.

"I'm positive" Garrus answered as he raised himself up to his feet.

"Let's find him then." Mads ordered as he pointed to another set of doors, different from the ones they entered through.

"Right behind you" Garrus replied.

Mads opened the first set of doors, revealing another empty hallway, however as they opened the door to the first side room, they found a Salarian hiding inside.

"Thank you! Thank you for saving me from those things!" He said, clearly glad he was safe.

"Commander, that's him, that's doctor Saleon" Garrus broke in.

"What? My name is heart! Dr. Heart. Please, get me out of here" The doctor said, trying to sell his lie.

"You sure Garrus?" Mads asked.

"Never been surer in my life" Garrus replied.

"Very well" Mads said.

"There is no escape this time, doctor. I'd harvest your organs first, but we don't have the time" Garrus said in a menacing voice.

"You're crazy! He's crazy! Please, don't let him do this to me!" Dr. Saleon pleaded.

"You forgot our agreement Garrus?" Mads asked.

"But we can't let him get away! There is a million different ways it could go south if we took him in" Garrus argued.

"He is worth more alive Garrus, that brain of his holds the keys to everything he have been doing. We'll find a nice small cell he can live out his days in" Mads fired back.

"I've- Okay, you're right" Garrus said as he finally backed down.

"Dr. Saleon, you're under arrest for breaking citadel laws regarding organ harvesting. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you-" Mads was reading up his rights as the doctor spoke up.

"Forget it! I'm not going to prison" Saleon said as he reached for his gun.

Mads quickly drew his revolver and pointed at the Salarian.

"You sure this is how you want to play it?" Mads asked.

"Screw you human! You will never catch me alive!" He yelled as he tried to run for cover. However his head had a giant hole in it before he got anywhere near his desired destination.

"So he just dies anyway, what's the point of that?" Garrus asked.

"He refused my offer of salvation. He chose his own path; I didn't let that change me. Remember that" Mads said as he slid his 44. Magnum back into his thigh holster.

"I see. I have never met anyone quite like you Romanov" Garrus said.

"Well I'm an older breed of human" Mads said, only realizing a few seconds later what he just said.

"What that supposed to mean?" Garrus asked.

"A story for another time, let's get back to the Normandy" Mads said as he rushed out of the room and the ship.

Garrus stayed behind for a few minutes to collect enough evidence to send back to C-sec to confirm that it was indeed dr. Saleon they had just killed.

Garrus finally boarded the Normandy again and went straight down to his work station at the Mako. There he could dwell on the lesson given to him today.

Mads settled into his chair in front of his terminal. He started the process of writing a report about the events of the day. He also updated Garrus' report, making a few notes.


	22. Chapter 21: Geth offensive

**Hey Pals**

 **I really am sorry for the lack of updates; I have been buried in schoolwork. I really can't promise things will go faster from now on, so please tolerate my absent. Same goes for my other story.**

 **I wanted to thank you all for your support, It means a lot to me, one of these days I will go back and correct the first couple of chapter to ensure they are readable, or at least the same quality as these newer ones.**

 **Take care.**

 **-KanisRussell**

* * *

 **2/5 2183**

Mads woke up in his chair, once again he had fallen asleep in it. He could feel his back hurting a bit, his body trying to tell him to stop sleeping in that damn chair. He looked at his watch; it was currently 2:48 in the morning. Most of the crew would be a sleep. Mads could feel he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep for the time being. He let out a yawn and went on the extranet, checking for current new updates. Mads was quite surprised by a new story.

 **Global women magazine. Issue 3672 date: May 2183.**

 **Hottest man alive?**

Just below the text was a picture of Mads, in an alliance ceremonial uniform.

 **Check out more pictures of the dashing human Spectre on page 4.**

Mads couldn't help but laugh. It was too funny, being nominated to be the hottest man around by one of the biggest magazines back on earth. He wondered when the crew was going to catch wind of it; it would probably be non-stop comments from Joker and Garrus regarding it.

Mads sighed just then, for some reason began to think of his own future. Would he ever settle down? Maybe have kids? The idea seemed so alien to a hardened soldier. After he woke up in this new world, he would often go on shore leave with the other soldiers, going to different bars and nightclubs, many times he would bring a lady from said nightclubs back to a hotel room. In this new world, his longest relationship had been three months. Perhaps it was time to start dating again? Not now, Mads thought to himself, not while he had to save the galaxy.

Mads stood up and walked out the door of his quarters. He walked up the stairs to the CIC, since Mads was supposed to sleep; Pressley had the deck while he was gone. Pressley was currently buried in his data pad, writing something down, though Mads couldn't see what is was.

"Hey Pressley!" Mads greeted to make his presence known.

Pressley made a small jump in surprise and quickly powered down his data pad.

"Commander, aren't you supposed to be asleep right now?" Pressley asked calming himself down.

"I fell asleep in my chair again; my back is going to kill me someday. I just wanted you to let all the other officers know that there will be a meeting in the comm room at 09:00 hours" Mads ordered as he stretched out a bit.

"Of course commander, I'll let them know right away" Pressley replied sounding slightly nervous.

"Something wrong Pressley?" Mads asked confused.

"Nothing important commander, we can speak about it at the meeting" Pressley answered.

"Alright, I'll head on down to my quarters again then" Mads said as he began to walk down the stairs.

"Commander!" Pressley almost yelled.

Mads stopped in his tracks and looked back at Pressley.

"Sleep well" Pressley said.

"I will try" Mads said as he walked down the stairs.

Mads laid back on his bed, trying to sleep, but it was proving to be quite difficult. He sat up in his bed and just kind of ran through his thoughts. Mads grabbed his 44. Magnum in the holster on his bedside table and began to clean it, cleaning weapons always had a calming effect on him.

After an hour of cleaning weapons, he finally fell asleep again.

* * *

Mads had a dream of him being back in 2016 on his first assignment to Syria, fighting in a foxhole beside his close comrades. Gunfire and explosions were deafening his ears.

Finally the wild sounds stopped, replaced by silence, the soldiers looked at each other confused.

" _What is going on?"_ Victor asked confused by the sudden silence.

" _Don't know, but I think they might be storming us in a minute. World war 1 tactic."_ Mads replied, pulling himself together.

" _You think they really are that dumb?"_ Victor asked as he reloaded his AK-12.

" _Give me the binoculars"_ Mads requested as he hold out his hand for Victor to put them in.

" _Here you go"_ Victor said as he handed Mads the binoculars.

" _Thanks"_ Mads replied, he slowly climbed up the trench to look out over to large open area. It was about 1,2 km to the city they were bend on taking. Local reports stated that the city was used as a center for their slave trade, liberating it could be a huge booster for morale for the Syrian public.

Mads quietly observed the city, trying to see the defense they had put up. The first thing he saw was the artillery that had bombarded them for the last 3 hours. They were all old, possibly from the sixties, probably old soviet cannons.

" _What are you up to?"_ Mads asked himself.

That's when he saw a couple of improvised armored vehicles driving towards them.

" _Shit, quick get the RPG!"_ Mads yelled to Victor.

Victor quickly got to work, getting the rocket into the RPG and handing it to Mads.

Mads took aim and began controlling his breath to ensure an accurate shot. He aimed dead center at one of the incoming vehicles. After another second of controlling his breath, he fired. The rocket impacted right under the vehicle, sending it flying and landing on its roof.

" _Got one"_ Mads said calmly.

" _Nice!"_ Victor said.

Mads made a hand gesture for Victor to give him another rocket.

" _That was the last one"_ Victor replied.

" _Shit, MEN GET READY!"_ Mads ordered.

Everyone lined up and waited for what was going to happen next.

The armored vehicles stopped some 50 meters from the trench. Out came ISIS soldiers, trying to storm the trench.

Soon the trench was a battleground in itself; it was every man for himself. It was a deadly close-quarters combat, where it was mostly luck that mattered. Mads saw a young private that was rabidly being overpowered by two terrorists. Mads found his 44. Magnum to be empty, so he then took out his knife.

Mads stabbed the first man in the back, making him fall over. The other terrorist then switched his attention to Mads, yelling something in Arabic, something Mads couldn't understand. Rage took over Mads' actions and as the terrorist rushed forward to Mads, Mads quickly sunk his knife in the man's chest. The terrorist's eyes were begging for forgiveness and regret. This was the first time Mads really had looked someone in the eyes as they died. It haunted him.

* * *

Mads shot up in his bed, breathing heavily. He was covered in sweat; most of his sheets were soaked with sweat. He took a moment to collect himself and figure out he wasn't on the battlefield anymore. He quickly got his breath under control; Mads began to wonder if he might have PTSD. Before he could dwell further, his alarm got off, there was 15 minutes to the officer meeting.

Mads took a quick shower and changed into his uniform, he walked out of his quarters and into the mess area. There he grabbed a cup of coffee, once again making sure it was human coffee, Garrus really had gotten him on edge since that little prank of his.

Mads walked up the stairs and into the Comms room, where he found all the officers seated.

"Good morning gentlemen" Mads greeted as he seated himself in a chair and took a sip of his coffee.

"Good morning Commander" They all replied.

"Excuse me for asking commander, but what is the purpose of this meeting?" Adams asked.

"Wanted to get a general report of the ship, how things are running and such" Mads said.

"There is nothing to note here" Adams said as he relaxed back into his seat.

All officers reported about their department of the ship, there were only minor issues, nothing to be worried about.

"Pressley, you had something to say?" Mads asked, referring to the comment made when they spoke.

"Just wanted to voice my concern about the aliens on the ship commander, some of the officers and recruits are not happy about it. Especially that Quarian, she could be stealing plans for the Normandy!" Pressley explained.

"You must be joking! Tali has been a huge help in engineering!" Adams almost yelled back at Pressley.

"Gentlemen please!" Mads said to calm them down, they both backed off.

"Pressley, I understand your concern, but you must understand that it is based on a stereotype, Tali have done nothing but prove herself since coming on board, same goes for Garrus, Liara and Wrex." Mads said.

"Yes sir, I won't bring it up any further" Pressley said.

"Go on, get the fuck out of here" Mads said to dismiss them all. Mads rubbed his forehead, before being interrupted by Joker.

"There is a call from Admiral Hackett" Joker said over the comms.

"Put him through" Mads ordered.

"Romanov, sorry to call so early in the morning, there is a potential situation in the Armstrong cluster. We got reports of Geth building camps and outposts there." Hackett explained.

"First sign of an offensive?" Mads asked.

"It might be so, but whatever it is, it needs to stop." Hackett ordered.

"Right away sir" Mads said.

"Hackett out"

Mads went up to the map and plotted a course for the first planet in the Armstrong cluster, Maji. Mads went down to his quarters and changed up to his combat gear. ETA for arrival was 4 hours, he decided to kill the time by speaking to his crewmates.

He spoke with all, mostly just small talk. He was glad to see people had a causal approach to him, and was not afraid of him, just because he was the commanding officer.

Last on the list was Tali, she was at her usual place at engineering. Mads went up behind her. Mads poked her on her right shoulder and quickly turned to the left.

Tali looked over her right shoulder and was confused that no one was there. She then looked to the left and saw the commander; she made a small jump in surprise.

"Keelah, you scared me commander!" Tali said as she calmed herself down.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself" Mads replied as he laughed a bit.

"What are you doing?" Mads asked.

"Just some routine checkup" Tali replied.

"Won't that ever get boring?" Mads asked further.

"Please commander, you are speaking to a Quarian" Tali said.

Mads laughed a bit.

"Sorry, I seem to forget" Mads said.

Tali was glad that Mads saw her as an equal. It made her very happy.

"Some people on this ship however aren't so happy about your presence" Mads commented.

"Really?" Tali asked, she couldn't understand that, everyone had been pretty nice.

"XO pressley isn't too happy about you, but he can kiss my ass. You have been very valuable to us Tali, I'm very glad you are on board" Mads explained.

Tali blushed at his comment, it wasn't often she received praise, her father always just told her to work harder.

"Thank you Commander" She said.

"You can thank me by joining the next mission, more Geth killing" Mads said.

"Sounds like fun" Tali commented.

"Glad you think so, and then I get a chance to test this puppy on them" Mads said as he took his AK-15 in his hands.

"I bet you will do some damage, I think those bullets might be effective against them" Tali explained.

"Here's hoping" Mads said.

"Be ready in 30 minutes, your favorite Turian is coming along" Mads said.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, I might actually haven gotten used to his dumb comments" Tali joked.

Mads laughed at that.

"Take care Tali" Mads said as he went out the room and over to the Mako.

"Hey Garrus, you ready?" Mads asked.

"I'm always ready commander" Garrus said.

"Good, we are hitting four plantes" Mads said.

Garrus nodded.

Mads and Garrus talked until Tali came up to them.

"Y'all ready?" Mads asked.

"Indeed" Tali answered for them both.

They loaded into the Mako and waited for Joker to give the all clear. In 5 minutes they were on the planet surface. They drove to the Geth outpost, taking out the turrets along the way.

They arrived at the Geth camp and quickly took out the snipers and troops stationed there.

"Piece of cake" Mads said as the last one hit the floor.

Just as Mads made that comment, a Geth colossus dropped. Mads, Garrus and Tali spent some 10 minutes fighting it; their combined skills ensured their victory.

"Nice work fellas" Mads praised.

"Thanks!" Tali replied.

They waited for Joker to Evac them. Mads crossed out the Planets name on his notepad. Now it was on the next one.

Casbin was the next planet; the story was not really that different. Except they managed to damage a dropship pretty heavily, Mads had hoped they could down it, but no such luck. Mads was really impressed by the two, they worked well together. Another planet was crossed out in the notepad.

Antibaar was the next on the list. This planet was a bitch to conquer, they mountains around the camp made it hard for any movement, combined with the fact that the dropship kept on dropping Geth primes and other troopers for them. But once again they prevailed and a cross was made in the notepad.

Payingri was the last planet, this one actually had a small underground base, once again filled with Geth, but surprisingly Husks as well. As the crew cleared out the small research facility, they looted it for whatever was salvageable. When they came out, there was reinforcement waiting for them in the form of more Geth. They made quick work of them. As the last Geth fell on the ground, Mads figured his field test of his AK-15 was more than a success.

"I figured their main base would have been on one of these planets." Garrus commented.

"I suppose so" Mads said as he began to wonder as well.

"I got a signal; it must be the main base! It's on Solcrum!" Tali said as she looked into the signal.

"The small moon?" Mads asked.

"Indeed" Tali answered.

"Then let's not waste any more time" Mads said as he ran for the Mako. Both Tali and Garrus followed him. They were quickly picked up by Joker and they made way for Solcrum.

Once they were on planet, they made way for the small underground base. They took out any resistance on the way there.

Inside they were just about all types of Geth they had encountered before, expect the really big kind. Those jumpers made their job hard, but in the end they stood victorious. Mads was reloading his AK-15 when he heard something.

It was someone speaking, or rather singing, but he didn't recognize the language, nor did his translator.

"Y'all hear that?" Mads asked as he put in the magazine.

"I do, what is that?" Garrus asked.

"That's Quarian!" Tali proclaimed.

"Really? My translator does seem to pick it up" Mads said confused.

"It's an old dialect, one we had before we lost our home world" Tali replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to offend you" Mads apologized.

"It's alright, let's check it out" Tali said as she walked into the back room, it was a server room.

Mads squatted down to take a look at the console before him. He spent something cracking it, but when he finally did, it gave him a lot of data on how the Geth have evolved and grown.

"Damn, that's a shit ton of information" Mads remarked as he looked over it.

Tali, how had been busy checking out other things in the room, came over to him and took a look.

She saw just how much data there was on it and just how valuable it was to the Quarians, this could be the perfect pilgrimage gift for her people, she needed to get her hands on it. But she was too afraid to ask the commander.

Mads downloaded the information on a disk and they all walked out of the base and into the Mako, waiting for Joker to come pick them up.


	23. Chapter 22: Stone cold

**Hey pals.**

 **Sorry for the lack of updates, I have been rather busy. I can't promise it will be any better going forwards. However to repay y'all. I have written my longest chapter yet, even longer than the Feros chapter. Do enjoy.**

 **C.E.W: I would love to hear your idea, and I have not given up on your Andromeda idea yet, but it will some time before I can give any updates on that.**

* * *

 **5/5 2183**

 **Normandy**

 **On route to Noveria**

Mads was sitting in his quarters, making himself busy by reading some old books he had lying around. Mads found it much easier to read things that were on paper instead of a screen or data pad. Just another sign that he wasn't from this timeline.

They were headed to Noveria, one of the planets given to him at the start of the hunt for Saren; he had been sidetracked by a lot of missions given to him by admiral Hackett. Mads had heard a couple of things about Noveria, most of them involved the cold weather and the business culture there. Just what Saren was doing out there was a mystery to him, but it was likely shady to a whole other degree.

Mads stood up from his chair and looked around his quarters. The room was messy, but that was almost the case with personal space he owned, he did kind of like it this way, living carefree. Mads then decided to spend the remaining time speaking with the crew, a good way to kill some time, like always.

Mads walked out of his quarters and into the mess, finding most of the crew busy eating lunch. Mads took some MREs and sat down besides Kaiden and Ashley. They were busy chatting about all sorts of things.

"Hey fellas" Mads greeted as he sat down with his plate.

"Hey Romanov, what have you been up to?" Kaiden asked as he leaned back into his seat.

"Just reading some books" Mads replied as he took the first bite.

"Any good ones?" Kaiden asked further, it had been too long since he had read anything on paper.

"' _The Hunt for the Red October_ ', it's one of my favorites, I must have read it at least 9 times by now" Mads said.

"I heard about that one, it's supposed to be a good military thriller" Ashley said

"It is indeed, there is no one quite like Tom Clancy. God rest his soul" Mads replied.

"So where are we headed now?" Kaiden asked to change the subject.

"Noveria, where business is as cold as the weather" Mads said while taking another bite.

"Sounds lovely" Ashley remarked with sarcasm in her voice.

"Indeed, though I might meet some business partners there" Mads said.

"Why do you have business partners?" Kaiden asked confused.

"I trade a lot on the stock market, you didn't honestly think that the alliance paycheck was enough, did you?" Mads asked.

"It is for me" Kaiden said as he sipped some water.

"Yeah well, I'm pretty good at it" Mads said.

"You really are a jack of all trades commander" Ashley commented.

"I have to be, otherwise I wouldn't be the first human spectre" Mads replied.

"I guess that is true" Kaiden said.

"Alright, be ready for deployment in 2 hours" Mads ordered as he stood up from his chair.

"Yes sir!" They both replied.

Mads nodded to them as he took his leave, he went for the elevator and down to the cargo hold. Once again finding everyone at their usual stations, Mads might have considered himself a conservative, but things were allowed to change every now and then.

Mads spoke with Wrex, he seemed to be very happy, and had been so ever since the recovery of his family armor. Wrex seemed to be ready for the upcoming mission and would stay loyal to Mads no matter what. That information brought a smile to Mads face.

Mads walked over to Garrus, who was still doing things to the Mako, would he ever get enough of that damn vehicle? Only time would tell.

"What are you doing Garrus?" Mads asked as he approached the Turian.

"Calibrating the weapon systems, if I'm going to be shooting this cannon, it might as well be on my terms" Garrus explained.

"You got a hard on for calibrating, you do know that right?" Mads asked.

"What? No I don't!" Garrus defended himself.

"Yeah you do, I always see you down here tinkering with the Mako" Mads teased.

"This is absurd, I will report this abuse" Garrus joked.

"Good luck with that" Mads replied as he took his leave.

Just before Mads was out of Garrus' hearing range, he said.

"Be ready for deployment in 2 hours" Mads ordered.

Garrus simply grunted in response.

Mads walked into the engineering department, finding all the engineers hard at work maintaining the drive core. Mads walked down to Tali, who once again seemed buried in her own work. Mads tapped her on her shoulder. She quickly turned around to greet him.

"Commander! I glad you came down here; there is something I want to ask you" Tali greeted.

"Is that so? What can I help you with?" Mads asked.

"It just that, well, remember that data you took from the Geth headquarters? I would like a copy" Tali requested.

"To send back to the flotilla?" Mads asked.

"Well yeah, but I had hoped to use it as a pilgrimage gift, it would really help our people" Tali explained.

"Won't that mean you will leave us?" Mads asked further.

"Not yet, I won't leave until Saren is dealt with" Tali stated.

Mads let his hand explore his pocket, Tali waited impatiently for what he was doing. Mads took a small USB stick out of his pocket and placed it in Tali's hand. She looked up at him confused by why he was carrying it around in his pocket.

"I figured you would want it, I definitely see the use in it, and your people deserve an edge, especially when the entire galaxy spits on you. Consider it a gift, a way of repaying you for all you have helped do" Mads explained with a smile.

Tali was at a loss for words, instead she hugged Mads tightly. Mads padded her on her back, after a minute or so she left go.

"Thank you, this means a lot, and while you say it is payment, I can never repay you for everything you have done for me. I will fight with you until this is all over" Tali promised.

"You're welcome Tali, though you might need to get ready for the next deployment in 2 hours" Mads said.

"Yes of course!" Tali replied as Mads left the room.

Mads went back up to the crew level, he then went into the med bay and into Liara's quarters. Liara was seated in front of her terminal; Mads stood in the door frame and made a small knock on the wall beside him. Liara turned around to see who it was.

"Commander, how can I help you?" Liara asked.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing" Mads replied as made his way into the room.

"I'm fine, you aren't mad at me, are you?" Liara asked.

"Of course not, it wasn't your intention. Who knows? One day I might stop hiding it. Would you like to come with us to Noveria?" Mads asked back.

"I would love to" Liara remarked with a smile.

"Excellent, be ready in a 2 hours' time" Mads ordered as he left the room. Liara turned around and resumed whatever she had been doing before.

Mads walked out of her room and back into his own quarters. He sat down in his chair and took out a cigarette; he then put on some music, just to relax a bit. He put his feet on his desk and let his thoughts run wild. His mind of course began to drift to the current mission, he still didn't know what was happening on Noveria, and he had a feeling he wasn't going to receive much help form the local government, or whatever they called them self. One good thing was the weather, something to remind him of home, though it would be doubtful that his team would share his opinion.

After the two hours had passed, he heard Joker call him up to the bridge over the comms, Mads quickly rushed up there in his armor. He found pretty much the entire ground team was there too. Mads walked past them and up besides Joker.

"Approach control, this is the SSV Normandy. Requesting a vector and a berth" Joker transmitted to Noveria.

"Normandy, your arrival is unscheduled. Our defense grid is armed and tracking you. State your business" The response from Noveria requested.

"Council business, we got a Spectre on board" Joker answered with a smirk.

"Landing access granted, Normandy. Be advised: we will be confirming identification on arrival. If confirmation cannot be established, your vessel will be impounded." The control officer replied.

The Normandy flew in and landed in one of the docks. Mads prepared himself mentally for whatever was going to happen next.

"What a fun bunch, I think I will spend my next leave here" Joker remarked sarcastically.

"Just don't sign anything" Mads replied with a laugh.

"Come on fellas, let see what they got" Mads ordered as he made his way for the airlock.

They all waited for the airlock to finish, and for the VI to say what it always said, without any remorse what so ever.

As the doors finally opened, Mads felt the familiar cold attack him, it was comforting, much like Moscow during wintertime. He quickly noted the reactions from the crew, everyone but Wrex seemed to already hate the cold with a passion, they all complained in one way or another.

They walked along the path until they were greeted by some security officers, most likely there to confirm his Spectre status.

"That's far enough!" The captain said.

"Let us though" Mads demanded, he was quite annoyed already.

"Name and rank" The captain demanded.

"Mads Romanov, Council spectre and Alliance commander" Mads replied.

"Load of horse crap ma'am" the other guard commented.

 _Fuck off._

"We will need to confirm that, also I must advise you that firearms are not permitted on Noveria. Sergeant Sterling, secure their weapons" The captain ordered.

Mads and the crew quickly equipped their weapons and aimed them at the security guards. It had now become a standoff. A single provocative action could ensure a blood bath, for both sides.

"I think this here weapon belongs in my hand, you better let me through, or this will be red October all over again" Mads said.

There was a lot of tension in the air as the two groups stood against each other, almost a blinking contest, except more deadly.

"Captain Matuso! Stand down! We confirmed their identity. Spectres are authorized to carry weapons here, Captain!" A voice called out over the comms.

"You may precede, Spectre. I hope the rest of your visit will be less confrontational." The captain remarked as she lowered her gun.

"You and me both, Captain." Mads replied as he slid his 44. Magnum back into his thigh holster.

"Parasini-san will meet you upstairs" The captain said.

"Behave yourself" Sergeant Sterling ordered as the dispersed.

Mads and the crew went up the stairs and went through a scanner, that of course went crazy with all the weapons they were carrying. Mads sighed just then.

"Don't mind the Alarm! We aren't used to host armed guests" Gianna Parasini said as she walked out from the backroom.

"No worries" Mads replied as he walked up to the counter.

"I'm Gianna Parasini, assistant to administrator Anoleis. We apologize for the incident in the docking bay" She apologized.

"I'll be honest, I'm not happy about it, but I know just how privatized worlds used for business feel about government forces, so I'll let it pass." Mads replied to calm her down.

"Thank you. One of my duties is the orientation of new arrivals. Do you have any questions?" She asked.

"I heard reports of actives regarding the Geth here, is that true?" Mads asked back.

"We haven't had any reports of Geth, however an Asari Matriarch passed through recently, Lady Benezia" Gianna answered.

With that information, Liara lit up behind Mads.

"Benezia? She is here?" Liara asked herself.

"It is vital that we speak to her, Gianna. Where is she?" Mads asked.

"Benezia left for peak 15 research complex a couple of days ago. To the best of my knowledge, she is still there" Gianna replied.

"Then that is where I'm going" Mads remarked as he was about to leave.

"You need to get clearance from the administrator to leave the port." Gianna replied.

"And where is the administrator?" Mads asked.

"His office is on the main level. Left at the top of the elevator" Gianna replied.

Mads nodded as he began to make his way to the elevator.

"She is here. I can't believe it" Liara said.

"I imagine you want to talk to me, commander. About my mother" Liara stated with a defeated look as if she was going to be kicked of the mission.

"Liara, I can't stop you from joining us and I trust you, but know that there is a chance your mother will be leaving this cold world in a body bag" Mads remarked, he didn't mean to sadden her, but she had to understand the risks.

"I understand, and thank you for your trust" Liara replied.

The team made their way to the elevator and down to the main level. It was a cold architecture type that was chosen, most likely to suit the weather outside and the otherewise bland culture. Mads couldn't help but be remained by the architecture of pretty much every country under soviet control, a tasteless regime, not like that of the Tsars. That was just a personal opinion, not one he shared with everyone.

"Shore leave until further notice" Mads ordered before he entered the office of the administrator.

"You sure you got this covered?" Garrus asked.

"Please, I went to business school" Mads remarked with a smirk.

Mads found Gianna at the terminal, she was too busy writing something down to notice Mads coming in the door.

"Is the administrator up for a little chat?" Mads asked to make his presence known.

"Let me check" Gianna replied as he called up Anoleis.

"Mr. Anoleis?" Gianna asked.

"Yes, what is it?" Anoleis asked over the phone.

"Commander Romanov is asking to speak with you" Gianna replied.

"Alright, send him in" Anoleis ordered annoyed.

Mads walked into his office and found the Salarian sitting at his desk.

"You will excuse me if I don't stand up. I have no time for people from that urban blight called earth" Anoleis said.

"Then I won't take much of your time, your life is short enough as it is" Mads fired back.

Anoleis looked very offended at that.

"Now, if we are done insulting each other, let's get down to business" Mads remarked.

"I will only corporate as required by the Executive board. This is to avoid the second-guessing of galactic law" Anoleis explained.

"I looking for access to peak 15, it's a matter of galactic security" Mads demanded.

"Yes, isn't everything nowadays? I will not allow you to harass our clients. This world is private property" Anoleis replied.

"I see this is fruitless" Mads said as he left the room quite annoyed.

As Mads was about to leave the secretary room, Gianna spoke up.

"Mr. Anoleis isn't the only one with a pass to leave Hanshan"

Mads stopped in his tracks and went over to her.

"Is that so?" Mads asked.

"Talk to Lorik Qui'in. You should be able to find him in the hotel bar. I can't say more, not within an earshot of Anoleis" Gianna replied in almost whisper tone.

"Lorik Qui'in? That old hound is here? Oh boy, this is going to be fun. Thanks Gianna!" Mads said as he left the room.

"You're welcome?" Gianna replied confused.

Mads walked out of the office rooms and was met by his team, who had all been waiting on him.

"Any luck?" Garrus asked.

"Afraid not, but we do have a lead" Mads said as he began walking.

The team followed him to the elevator to the hotel bar. The all managed to fit the elevator; it was a slow ride with your standard elevator music.

There was music in the hotel bar as well, quite loud music in fact. Mads spotted Lorik sitting by a table all by himself, looking rather depressed, or at least as depressed as a Turian can get (Turians aren't really easy to read). Mads walked over to him and Lorik seemed to notice someone coming, but he didn't really look up to see who it was.

"Good afternoon. Sit down, have a drink. What can I do for you?" Lorik asked, when he finally looked up, he was quite surprised to see who it was.

"Commander Romanov? So good to see you again!" Lorik greeted as he offered a hand shake.

Mads accepted his handshake.

"You too, Lorik. Though you have been in better positions" Mads replied, referring to his current depressed state.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Garrus interrupted.

"Me and Lorik go way back" Mads remarked as he seated himself in front of Lorik.

"Mr. Romanov is a major stock holder in Synthetic insights" Lorik answered.

"How big a stock holder is he?" Garrus asked as his C-sec skills came back to him.

"He owns 18% of the company" Lorik stated as he took another sip from his drink.

The entire team was baffled by the news that Mads was such a major stock holder in such a large company as Synthetic insights.

"Sprits, Romanov just how many credits do you have?" Garrus asked.

"Some 36 million on my bank account, I do however own more than 100 million credits in stocks in different companies around the galaxy" Mads answered proudly.

"Just how did you get your hands on that much money?" Ashley asked form behind the group.

"Let's just say the stock market is almost laughably easy to predict, and when a fella like me got all this time on his hands, well you get the picture" Mads explained.

Lorik cleared his throat, a sign that he wanted Mads to get to the point.

"Right, sorry. I'm in need of your help Lorik. I need to get to peak 15, however the asshole you call an administrator is blocking me from going any further. However... I heard a rumor that you might just happen to have a pass lying around" Mads said.

"I do indeed have a pass. However, normally I wouldn't just hand it out. But considering that you are a close friend, I will give it to you, if you help me with a small problem" Lorik said as he finished his drink.

"And what is this problem?" Mads asked.

"You know that I'm the manager here at the local Synthetic insights office, however Anoleis is keeping me out of my own office. He claims to be investigating reports of my corruption. The administrator is quite interesting; his wealth has grown a lot since taking direct control of rents" Lorik explained.

"Hah, corrupt to the bone himself, I figured as much" Mads remarked as he leaned back into his seat.

"I have evidence about his actions. His hired thugs are ransacking my office to get it. If you can require the evidence from my office, then the pass is yours, including a sum of credits" Lorik finished.

"I think I can manage that" Mads said.

"Do note that violence against his thugs may be necessary, he has hired members of the Hanshan's security team to search my office. He is paying them under the table. The captain is unaware of their activates" Lorik explained.

"Shouldn't be a problem" Mads replied.

"Excellent, come back here with the evidence and I will give you the pass" Lorik said.

Mads nodded and rose from the table.

"See you later Lorik" Mads said before leaving.

The team rode back down with the elevator; it was really quiet in the elevator until Ashley spoke up.

"How come you never told us you were a millionaire, commander?"

"You never asked" Mads replied.

"You really are full of surprises, commander. But why stick around in the alliance, if you already got enough money to retire for life? I know my pay is crappy" Ashley said, everyone nodded in agreement.

"Because military duty is my life. It's nice to know you have a stable Homefront, if I'm ever to get discharged. I been in the alliance for 9 years, I can't see myself being anywhere else" Mads explained.

"Fair enough, commander" Ashley said to close the subject.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. The team went out and up a different elevator to the Synthetic insights office. Upon arrival, they found the security guards mentioned by Lorik.

"Step back, this place is off limits!" The female guard demanded.

"I got permission to be here by the manager" Mads replied.

"Lorik Qui'in? He is under investigating" The female guard responded.

"You are here illegally, hired by Mr. Anoleis to shake it down. Does the captain know your current whereabouts?" Mads asked.

"I'm not the one that wants Lorik; Anoleis got a varren up the ass about the guy. Look, if we pretend we didn't see each other, we will all benefit." The guard suggested.

"Sounds good to me" Mads said as he made his way past them, however there was some more loyal guard to Anoleis snooping around.

Mads whistled to get the attention of the guards lurking around the room. They all stopped what they were doing to observe what was going on.

"Listen fellas, if I were you, I would head on out of here" Mads suggested.

A couple of guards whispered to each other, after a few seconds a guard spoke up.

"Go to hell!"

 _Then we will do it the hard way_ Mads thought to himself as he reached for his AK on his back.

A firefight broke out, but the security detail was no match for the experienced crew of the Normandy. Mads dropped into cover and shouted orders to his team. Soon blood was smeared all over the walls of the office. Most of the thugs were lying on the floor immobilized and screaming in pain due to the bullets wound a 7.62x39 mm bullet could cause.

Mads walked into Lorik's office and began searching for the evidence against Anoleis, he hoped Lorik would use it against Anoleis, to get the asshole behind bars. Mads finally found it and put the data in his pocket. His team began to move out, when they were greeted by someone familiar.

"I don't think you're supposed to be in here, Romanov." Sergeant Sterling stated.

"It would appear you are in my way, sergeant. Please stand aside." Mads requested.

"I can't do that, now, hand over that data." Sergeant Sterling demanded.

"Oh yeah, let me just shove it right up your ass" Mads said as he made a move for his 44. Magnum.

Sergeant Sterling began to flare up her biotics. Soon a firefight broke out, both groups jumped into cover and began to fire at eachother. They both tried to get the advantage. It was a stalemate for a rather long time, before Mads landed a shoulder shot on the sergeant. The loss of their supposed leader seemed to hit hard on the morale for the remaining guards. Soon they were all disposed of, in a rather brutal manner. The sergeant had leaned herself of on a wall, her hand trying fruitlessly to stop the bleeding from her shoulder. Mads walked over to her.

"Somewhat of a weapon you got there, Romanov" Sergeant Sterling remarked as she grinded her teeth to ease the pain.

"You like it? There aren't a lot of people who respect the classics, I'm trying to bring them back" Mads replied as he inspected his 44. Magnum.

"So what now?" Sergeant Sterling asked.

"Normally this is where you beg for your life, but I sense that you won't be doing that" Mads said as he spinned the chamber of his gun.

"You got that right, you were tougher than I thought" Sergeant Sterling commented.

"The feeling is mutual." Mads said.

"Thanks" She said.

"Say hello to God from me" Mads said as he pulled the trigger, sending the Sergeant out of this universe. Her dead body fell onto the floor.

The team quickly walked over to the elevator and began to ride it back down to ground level. Upon arrival they found Gianna waiting for them.

"Commander! There have been reports of noise from the Synthetic insights office. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Gianna asked.

"I don't know. It must be Anoleis's thugs tearing the place apart" Mads answered.

"A smartass, I can work with that. Meet me before you speak with Lorik" Gianna said as she departed.

Mads and the crew walked the distance to the elevator that brought them to the hotel bar once again. Finding Gianna standing by a table on the other side of the room, Mads approached her.

"Commander, allow me to reintroduce myself. Parasini, Noveria Internal Affairs." Gianna said in a dead serious tone.

Mads began laughing, everyone just looked at him.

"Hahaha, ohh that's rich, now the inner circle wants something from me too?" Mads asked as he slowly stopped laughing.

"We know about Anoleis's corruption, we just need proof. I have been undercover for six months trying to nail him. I want you to convince Lorik to testify before the board. With his evidence, this planet can run profitably again." Gianna explained.

"And why should I help you? I already got a deal with Lorik" Mads asked.

"I can provide whatever you need, a favor for a favor." Gianna said.

"She does have a point, it would be better to get rid of him" Garrus commented from the group standing behind Mads.

"Look Romanov, I don't like this either. You spectres play loose and fast, that is not good for business." Gianna said.

"Fine, but I'm only helping because the administrator is a complete asshole" Mads replied as he walked over to Lorik.

"Great, you know where I work, come talk to me once you are done." Gianna said as she made her leave for the elevator.

Mads approached Lorik, who was still busy drinking. Mads sat down in front of him.

"Romanov, so good to see you! Did you take care of my problem?" Lorik asked.

"Indeed Lorik, however I want you to testify against Anoleis, I have an internal affairs agent up my ass about it." Mads said.

"I sorry Romanov, but I refuse." Lorik replied as he looked down in the table.

"Lorik, look at me!" Mads demanded. Lorik slowly raised his head and meet Mads' eyes.

"Everyone's lives is bullshit under Anoleis, you will be awarded as a hero, if you stop him, think of the PR opportunities that lies in it! The board is already after Anoleis, they just need your evidence!" Mads explained.

"I- Alright, your point is clear, Romanov. Have your agent contact me" Lorik requested.

"Excellent, we can all breathe a little easier now" Mads replied.

"Come on, guys. Let's get out of here" Mads turned around and said to his crew.

They took the elevator down to the ground level and went straight for Anoleis's office, of course finding Gianna there, waiting for the news.

"It's done, you just need to contact him" Mads said as he entered through the door.

"Thanks, commander. Here is your pass" Gianna replied as she handed Mads her pass to the garage.

"Now excuse me. I have an arrest to make." Gianna stated as she walked into Anoleis' office.

They two came walking out, Gianna had taken the time to put him in handcuffs, and his disapproval was loud.

"Romanov! Arrest this bitch!" He demanded as he wiggled around.

"If you hadn't insulted my home planet, I might have considered it" Mads replied.

"You have the right to remain silent; I wish to god you would use it!" Gianna said as she pushed him forwards.

"See you around, commander. I owe you a beer" Gianna said as she walked out the door with Anoleis.

The team looked at each other and began to make their way to the garage. It wasn't a long walk. They came up to the door, there was guard standing at the door, looking rather nervous, but it wasn't surprising considering how the crew looked.

"The garage is off limit" She stated in a low voice.

"I have a pass" Mads replied as he showed it to her. She took a quick look and said:

"That looks fine, head on through"

"Much obliged" Mads said as he passed through the door.

It was a large garage, with several crates and trucks and armored vehicles inside. It wasn't long before Mads got the feeling something was off. The team was just about to spread out when Mads stopped them.

"Hold up, something is off." Mads remarked as he looked around.

His team froze up and began observing their surroundings, looking for anything off. Suddenly a Geth hopper came down from the roof; it was a sign for all the other troopers hiding to come out, soon a fire fight was full in the making. The loud noises echoing throughout the room and building. The team struggled for a while to gain the edge in the battle, rows after rows of Geth came after them. At some point the firefight broke down and the last Geth fell, Mads then heard the door open.

Out came the captain, not pleased with what she saw, her first reaction was to blame Mads.

"Commander, what are you doing?" She asked.

"Who? me? I'm defending myself over here; someone brought these Geth with them and if I have to take a guess, it would probably be Lady Benezia" Mads explained.

"Impossible, they passed weapons scans" She said to herself.

"Perhaps you need an upgrade. I'm out of here" Mads replied as he turned around and walked down to the Mako in the garage. His team hopped into the Mako with him, and so they were off. They drove through the winter landscape and fought several Geth troopers stationed along the way. The cold was the only thing that surpassed the crew's hatred for the Geth; Mads was in love with it however. It reminded him of home and of what life used to be like.

Finally the Mako drove up to the entrance of peak 15. The quickly ran into the room beside the entrance, since the entrance had been broken or blocked. As they entered the garage, they came under fire within seconds.

Once again locked in bitter fighting, Mads got to see his new weapons' effect on bigger Geth units and Krogan forces, it was much more effective, only limited by ammo. The room was left bloody and damaged by the fighting that had taken place, not that it was pretty to begin with. Something went wrong at this facility and it was their job to figure out what is was.

Suddenly a VI voice called out over the comms.

"User alert. All peak 15 facilities have suffered a great deal of damage. Biohazard materials present through facility."

"Great" Mads remarked sarcastically.

They went into a small containment chamber, where the turrets where facing the wrong way. It seemed that this facility wasn't combatable with their employees fleeing and giving away company secrets. It was a rather sad sight, but Mads knew he had to carry on. They went into an elevator and went up.

They walked out of the elevator and went on. As the next door opened, the entered an area of the facility that had been compromised by the cold weather of the outside. Snow had fallen on the metal floor. This was also their second firefight at the facility, Geth were present and in large numbers, as the bullet chambers hit the snow, the snow melted due to the how hot the chambers were. As the final Geth fell, something quite unexpected happened. Noises of things crawling in the vents were dominant now that the battle had become silent and so the crew had their backs pressed against each other to create a circle that covered a 360 viewpoint.

Soon a familiar animal crawled out of the vents in the offices.

"What is THAT?" Kaiden asked.

"Rachni" Mads, Garrus and Tali answered in union.

"WHAT? RACHNI? BUT HOW?" Ashley asked desperately.

"Bio engineering is my best guess" Mads replied as he changed his mag.

4 Rachni attacked them; Wrex rushed off and faced one of them by himself. Kaiden and Ashley began fighting one. Tali and Garrus fought one too. Mads was the only one in the group who had actually fought one of them, and therefore had the most experience.

Mads quickly figured out that these were a bit tougher than the ones they faced at the Cerberus lab. Mads spent half a mag from his AK trying to down it, until he decided to give it a more personal touch. He took out his knife and leaped out of cover and used a table to expand his jump. He jammed his knife down on the top of its head, similar to when you kill a lobster. It seemed to do the trick, as the Rachni fell on the ground lifeless. Mads then focused his attention on the remaining Rachni, helping out Kaiden and Ashley, then Tali and Garrus. Wrex seemed to kill the Rachni by himself.

"Damn, that was tough!" Ashley proclaimed when the Rachni was finally dead.

"Yeah, seems they had a few upgrades" Mads commented.

"How would you know?" Wrex asked.

"I fought one on the Cerberus base, these have more armor than those" Mads explained.

"Somewhat of a kill you pulled off there" Garrus commented.

"You saw it?" Mads asked.

"Indeed, you kind of lit up the room. Color me impressed" Garrus answered.

"Alright, shall we head out?" Mads asked. They all nodded in agreement.

They took an elevator to their next location. They were now faced with the task of fixing the base; they had to hack the mainframe just to speak with the VI at the facility. They then had to turn on the main power source and to connect the landlines. All that was done all under attack from both Rachni and Geth.

They came by another containment chamber; this one had Rachni inside it. Tali managed to override the control to kill the Rachni inside.

 _She certainly shows her resourcefulness_ Mads thought as the moved along the way.

They rode with the tram to the other side of the facility, to where Beneiza supposedly was. They saw the some of the doors were locked down tight, so they went the only way they could. Another elevator ride lead them to a group trying to survive, leading them was a captain Ventralis.

"Stand down!" Ventralis ordered. His people lowered their guns.

"Sorry, we couldn't be sure what was on the train." Ventralis said.

"No worries" Mads replied as the group also began to lower their weapons.

"So, who are you?" Ventralis asked.

"Mads Romanov, alliance navy and human spectre" Mads replied.

"I see, it is good to have some new manpower. The aliens overran the labs last week, a lot of staff has died" He explained.

"I think you did rather well, fighting an unknown enemy while protecting civilians, that earns a mark in my book" Mads said to reassure the captain.

"Really? It doesn't feel very good" He replied.

"The board sent an Asari to clean up this mess a couple of days ago, I think she is down in the hot labs" The captain said.

"Understood, I'll try to ease you guys up" Mads said.

"Thanks Romanov" The captain said as he stood aside.

Then another wave of Rachni attacked, but with Mads' help, they were able to fight them off pretty easily.

Mads went into the back and helped the few people he could, he then went in and made a cure that the doctor spoke about, but was ambushed by the Asari he had spoken to earlier. It of course ended in her death.

They went on and fixed the problem with the Rachni, by killing most of them off. When Mads came back up, he was ambushed by the captain he had helped, for his betrayal; Captain Ventralis suffered a rather slow death.

Mads went down to the hot labs, and finally came face to face with Beneiza.

"You don't know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life. To turn it towards happiness or despair. Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt Saren's enemies. I won't be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring into this fight" Beneiza ranted.

"Beneiza T'soni, you are hereby under arrest under citadel laws." Mads said.

"Have you faced an Asari commando unit before? Few humans have" Beneiza asked.

"Asari commandos are overrated" Mads replied.

"You will die, human, a hollow death" Beneiza replied.

"The time for talk has passed, Beneiza. The lord's work must be done" Mads said as he readied his AK.

Asari commandos and Geth began pouring out of the doors around the room.

"Focus on the Asari and Geth!" Mads yelled.

And so fighting began, the Asari commandos relayed too much on their biotics, making them rather predictable and their shields stood no chance against the raw firepower of the AK-15. Mads' team was split up, each fighting their own group of enemies. Mads managed to hide behind cover and take one of the Commandos by surprise, he knocked the rifle out of her hands and jammed his knife up through her jaw. Her pupils went up as the life escaped her body.

It was a long fight, endless waves of enemies rushed at them, but in the end they were victorious. Benezia stood in front of the Rachni queen as they approached her.

"This is not over! Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear" Benezia said.

"I would suggest you stop bullshitting me, the Rachni queen doesn't agree with you, so I won't either" Mads replied as he took aim at Benezia.

"I will not betray him. You will- you… You must listen! Saren still whispers in my mind. I can fight his compulsions. Briefly. But the indoctrination is strong." Benezia explained.

"And now you are all of a sudden free of his control?" Mads asked.

"I sealed a part of my mind away from the indoctrination. Saving it for a moment when I could help destroy him. It will not last for long" Benezia explained further.

"So you will turn on me again?" Mads asked.

"Yes, but it won't be my will. People are not themselves around Saren. You come to idolize him. Worship him. You would do anything for him. The key is sovereign, his flagship, it is a dreadnought of incredible size and its power is extraordinary" Benezia replied.

"I have seen it, it is beyond this galaxy. How did he get it?" Mads asked.

"I can't say, because I don't know. I know the Geth didn't build it. The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren's will seems correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you. It is subtle at first, I thought I was strong enough to resist. Instead, I became a willing tool, eager to serve. He sent me here to find the mu Relay. Its position was lost thousands of years ago."

"So that's why you needed the Rachni queen" Mads said.

"Yes, they share memories across generations. I was not gentle in taking that information from her." She replied while looking rather sad.

"Give me that information" Mads demanded.

She went over with a small disk in her hand, now they were finally on the right track.

"Do you know where he planned to go from the relay?" Liara stepped in and asked.

"He never told me, I am sorry" Benezia remarked as she hung her head low.

Benezia began to drift back into her state of indoctrination, she tried desperately to fight it, but it was fruitless.

"Mother! I- Don't leave, fight him!" Liara pleaded.

"You always made me proud, Liara." Benezia replied.

A few seconds passed and she turned around.

"Die!" She proclaimed.

Mads quickly brought his 44. Magnum into his hand. The fight was over before it really began; a single shot was all that was needed to send her flying into the glass of the giant cage. Now she was coughing up blood.

"I cannot go on. You will have to stop him, Romanov." She said while looking defeated.

"I truly am sorry for everything done to you" Mads replied.

"Thank you, I ask only that you take care of my daughter" Benezia asked.

"I will do as much" Mads promised.

"Mother!" Liara yelled.

"Goodnight little wing. I will see you again with the dawn" Benezia said as she died.

Mads made a cross on his chest. Liara began crying over the corpse of her mother; Tali was trying to comfort her, Mads would have done as much, if his attention wasn't needed elsewhere. The Rachni.

He looked at the queen, she was much like a bug, but she had been horribly mistreated. Suddenly Mads noticed what appeared at first to be the Asari commando walking up to him, though she still had a bullet wound on her cheek. There was no way in hell she could be alive right now.

Mads had a pretty bone-chilling conversation with the Rachni, they talked for a while; meanwhile the crew simply looked on. Mads decided to spare her life in the end, dooming an entire species to extinction was simply not his intention with life. The queen promised to find a new home and not to bug the galactic civilization again (Pardon the pun).

Mads and the crew then went the entire way back to the Normandy. Finally they had a lead.


	24. Chapter 23: Virmire

**Hey Fellas.**

 **Here is the Virmire chapter, another long chapter in celebration of over 12.000 views!**

 **I'm sorry y'all have to wait so long for these chapters, I wish I could pump them out faster.**

* * *

 **6/5 2183**

 **Normandy**

Mads and the team boarded the Normandy, before they could go their separate ways, Mads spoke out.

"Debriefing in an hour." He ordered.

They nodded and went to do whatever they wished to do. Mads knew down to his quarters and took a quick shower and changed into something more, well, causal. If you can call a uniform casual. Mads quickly smoked a cigarette and spent some time writing a report back to the Alliance. Mads stretched out before he headed into the comms room.

His team was already waiting for him; he was once again the last to arrive. Mads went to his chair and planted himself in it. There was a couple of seconds of silence before someone spoke up.

"So, what is our next move? Head to the Mu Relay?" Ashley asked.

"I'm afraid not, it links to dozens of systems, unless we know where Saren is going, there is no point." Mads explained.

"The Commander is right; we can't rush off before we know where he is going. We need more intel" Liara said backing up Mads' claim.

"Who put you in charge? Did the commander resign while I wasn't looking?" Ashley asked.

"That's quite enough, Ashley. I'm not in the mood for this shit. I get that we are all stressed out, but please." Mads said while looking disappointed.

"Sorry Commander" Ashley apologized as she retreated back into her chair.

"It's alright. Everyone, go get some sleep" Mads ordered.

The crew left the room one by one. Now it was time to speak with the council.

"Is this report accurate, commander? You found Rachni on Noveria?" Councilor Tevos asked right away.

"And then released the Queen! Do you have any idea what you have done? How many generations until they overrun the galaxy?" Councilor Sparatus asked quite furiously.

"I will tell you what I have done, Councilor! I don't know about you, but I won't doom an entire species to extinction by what they did thousands of years ago! This Queen knew where her species went wrong, so I let her built her own future." Mads explained. He was quite annoyed by the Turian councilor.

"I hope you're right, Romanov. Otherwise our children's children will pay the price" Councilor Sparatus stated.

"There is another matter. One that might involve Saren. A STG team was sent to investigate a possible base that Saren utilizes. They went dark some time ago, however they sent out a distress message." Councilor Valern said to change subject.

"What was the message?" Mads asked.

"We don't know, it was encrypted and badly transmitted. It was however, on a channel used only for high alert Intel" Councilor Valern explained.

"I see. Send me the coordinates" Mads requested.

"Will do, and good luck" Councilor Valern replied as the Councilors disappeared.

Mads had a mixed feeling of happiness and anger. Happiness was due to the possible lead they had, and anger against the Turian councilor. There was no time to dwell on such personal issues. Mads decided to speak with the crew, a good way to get his mind of some certain asshole councilors.

Mads went out of the comms room and right on to the CIC map to plot a course to Virmire. As he hit the final button, he got a weird feeling in his gut, like something was going to happen there, something unforeseen. Although Mads had always trusted his gut feelings, he was surprised about this one; it felt even worse than the one we got before the day everything changed for him. He shook it off, nothing could be worse than that.

He went down the stairs to the crew quarters, finding almost no one there. He went into the med bay and had a casual chat with Dr. Chakwas.

"Hey doctor" Mads greeted as he walked into the med bay.

"Good afternoon, commander" Chakwas said as she shifted her attention from her terminal to him.

"What are you up to?" Mads asked as he walked over to her.

"I'm just checking up on the medical reports of the crew, and you?" She asked back.

"I just plotted a course to Virmire." Mads said as he leaned against her desk.

"I see, anything interesting there?" She asked further.

"A possible hideout for Saren. An STG team sent out a distress signal. We are the backup" Mads replied.

"Is there a reason you came to me?" She asked.

"Well, as soon as I plotted the course, I got a gut feeling that something would go wrong. I wanted to ask you, do you trust your gut feelings?" Mads asked her.

She slipped into deep through for a couple of seconds before she replied.

"Well, I think gut feelings have gotten humans far in the past. In fact, I think it's one of our greatest traits."

"I see, so should I trust it?" Mads asked.

"Indeed" She answered.

"Thank you, doctor. I'll be sure to proceed with caution" Mads said.

Before he was about to leave, he asked yet another question.

"Is Liara in her quarters?" Mads asked.

"I believe so, why do you ask?" Chakwas asked back.

"Well, her mother died during the last mission" Mads replied as he let out a sigh.

"I see, so that's why she has been extra quiet." Chakwas commented.

"Yeah, I promised her mother that I would take care of her" Mads said.

"Well, then I can see you got your plate full" Chakwas said as she seated herself down in front her terminal.

Mads walked across the room to Liara's quarters, he knocked a couple of times. He finally got clearance to get in after a couple more seconds.

She was still sitting by her terminal, probably trying to bury herself in work to forget her sorrows. She slowly turned her head to meet Mads' glance.

"How are you feeling?" Mads asked to start the conversation.

"If you are referring to my mother's death, you need not worry. I have come to terms with it" Liara replied.

"Are you certain?" Mads asked.

She took a couple of seconds to think more in depth about it. Mads decided to give her something more to think about.

"Do you know how long it was until I came to terms with my family's demise?" Mads asked.

"Well... no." She replied.

"It took close to 2 years for me to even accept that it happened. I am often reminded by them, so let me ask again: How are you feeling?" Mads asked again.

"I-I... not good" She answered as she began to sob a little bit.

Mads went over to her and gave her a light hug. She began crying more into his shoulder. Mads padded her on the back, trying to comfort her. They remained like that for almost 10 minutes before Liara broke away.

"Thank you, Romanov" She said as she wiped away the remaining tears in her eye. Mads smiled to her.

"It's quite alright, Liara. We all suffer loss, especially when you are in this brand of business." Mads said with comforting words.

"What were they like?" She asked suddenly.

"Who?" Mads asked back confused.

"Your parents" She said.

"They were, well." Mads began to think back on them, those who had passed so many years ago.

"My mother was a lovely woman; she loved all her children with all her heart. She is the reason I started on business school. She was inspirational to all people around her. My father was firm, he expected a lot from me, and he always wanted me to succeed, to settle for nothing except the first place. Even though we didn't always get along, I still owe a lot to him. His biggest wish was for me to reclaim the Russian throne" Mads explained.

"I never knew my father" Liara commented.

"That's a shame, was it an Asari?" Mads asked.

"Yes it was, but be careful saying that, purebloods are taboo in our culture nowadays" Liara explained.

"Is that so? Back in the 19th and 20th century many humans hated mixed races. Even in the 21st century there was a lot of tension between ethnic groups" Mads replied.

"Humans are interesting" Liara commented.

"We are weird bunch alright" Mads remarked.

"So what is next?" Liara asked with newly found strength.

"Virmire, but I got a bad feeling about it" Mads said.

"What bad feeling?" Liara asked.

"A gut feeling that something will go wrong, it's probably nothing" Mads replied in an effort to calm Liara's nerves.

"I see. Thank you for your support, commander" Liara said.

"You are welcome, anytime you need someone to listen to you, don't hesitate to come to me." Mads said before he left the room.

He went over to the elevator and down to the cargo bay to talk to the other part of his crew. Mads went over to Wrex, who was standing by the lockers.

"Hey Wrex, how are you?" Mads greeting to gain his attention.

"Hey Romanov, I'm doing fine" He answered.

"You ready for Virmire?" Mads asked.

"I suppose, what do you hope to find there?" Wrex asked back.

"Not really sure, but if we are lucky, it's one of Saren's bases" Mads said as he leaned back unto the wall.

"Well I'm behind you, Romanov. Count on that" Wrex said.

"I appreciate that, Wrex. I really do" Mads remarked as he left.

He went over to Garrus, but not before noticing that Ashley wasn't at her usual post cleaning weapons. Garrus was doing what he always was doing, checking out the Mako.

"You know Garrus, if I banned you from looking at the Mako, you would probably go down with a depression" Mads said as he walked over to Garrus.

"You're most likely right, it's the most exciting thing around here" Garrus replied as he laid down a tool he had just been using.

"You know where Ashley went?" Mads asked.

"No idea, I don't think she has been down here all day" Garrus said as he leaned back on the Mako.

"Hmmm, alright. Well, we are headed to Virmire" Mads stated.

"What's so special about Virmire?" Garrus asked confused.

"It special enough that the Salarian sent their STG team to check it out. They sent out a distress signal some time ago. It might be a base for Saren, but we won't know until we have boots on the ground." Mads explained.

"How long till we are there?" Garrus asked.

"1-2 days" Mads replied.

"Alright" Garrus said as he resumed his work.

Mads walked into the engineering department to find Tali, who like always was hard at work.

"Do you ever catch a break?" Mads asked with a smile as he approached her.

Tali turned around from her terminal to face Mads.

"Romanov! I do, it's just... well.. I like working down here" She answered.

"So you're working overtime?" Mads asked.

"I suppose" She answered.

"Then, as I see it, there are two options, you either get some more time off, or I pay you some extra for your troubles. Which do you prefer?" Mads asked as he leaned against the railing.

"No need, Romanov. I simply like to work on the drive core" Tali replied in a kind tone.

"Believe it or not, but you do have rights. I get a feeling you don't want some time off, so let be compensate you for your troubles" Mads said as he began to type in commands on his omni-tool. It didn't take long before Tali's omni-tool beeped and showed her, that she had received 1500 credits from the commander.

"What? No you didn't!" Tali remarked in disbelieve as she watched her updated account.

"Well I just did. Don't spend on something I wouldn't" Mads replied with a smile.

"I can't accept this" Tali said, her modesty taking over.

"You sure can. While you are not officially employed by me, I still believe in goodwill. Consider this another token for your support and for working overtime" Mads said as he padded her on the shoulder.

Tali couldn't even formulate a basic 'thank you' to him and instead she hugged him tight. Not wanting to let him go. She had never experienced kindness like this before. The commander seemed to be an excellent example of what a good person should be, at least when off duty.

"Thank you for the hug, Tali. I think I needed that." Mads said as he hugged her back, she slowly released him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked worryingly.

"It's just the council. A bunch of cunts, well, at least the Turian councilor." Mads replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but you will prove your worth" Tali said confidently.

"Well, I wish they put as much stock into me as you do, Tali." Mads replied with a smile.

"You have already proven your worth to me, I need no further evidence" She commented.

"You're a kind person, Tali. Don't ever change in that regard." Mads said.

"Thank you" She said as she blushed.

"By the way, we are heading to Virmire. It will be at least a day till we get there, but I think the entire team is coming with me on this one" Mads said.

"I'll be ready!" Tali said.

"I would expect no less" Mads said with a smile as he left the engineering department.

Mads would spent the next 2 days speaking with the crew, doing some small maintenance work here and there. He had another officer meeting to discuss the current situation aboard the Normandy. They all pitched in with different ideas about improving the Normandy.

* * *

 **6/5 2183**

 **Normandy.**

 **On route to Virmire.**

The final detail was sliding the 44. Magnum into the thigh holster where it belonged. There was almost no better feeling, now Mads was ready to go to Virmire and check out what was happening there. He hoped the STG team was still holding out, but from their reputation, he probably shouldn't be too worried. Mads walked out of his quarters and into the Cargo bay. Everyone in the ground team had lined up, waiting for the signal to board the Mako and get on with the mission.

Mads gave the all clear to enter the Mako, and everyone did as much. Mads got into the driver seat, waiting for the signal from Joker, like always. He spent the few minutes he had to check up on the systems, but he quickly discovered some new features, most likely added by certain Mr. Vakerian. Mads just ignored them for now. Mads leaned back into his seat, he wished the alliance would have added leather seats to the Mako; it would everything so much better.

They finally received the all clear signal from Joker. They flew out and landed on what appeared to be a beach. It was a nice tropical planet, much like those pictures you saw of 'paradise on earth' postcards back in the 21st century. They received calls from Joker telling them that AA guns were keeping the Normandy from landing, so that was their first objective.

Some creatures were walking around the beaches, they looked like giant crabs. The team just drive by them, they posed no theat. Several drones and Geth Troopers were attacking them, making their journey a little bit trickier.

They fought their way through some sort of gate; they killed all Geth within the area and proceeded to the next one, which had the controls for the AA guns that were targeting the Normandy. Joker radioed in and told them, that he was clear and brought the Normandy to the camp where the Salarians were hold up. Mads also opened the gate, so that the Mako could drive on through. As they approached the camp, they were informed by Joker, that the Normandy was grounded, they would get further details upon arrival.

The camp was just outside the walls of the compound, it was impressive that the Geth hadn't located them yet, but then again, it was the STG. They pulled up in the Mako and parked on the beach; the crew got out and began to go their different directions. Now it was time to figure out what was going on. Mads made his way to the leader of the STG group.

"I guessing you're the one in charge here" Mads asked as he approached the Salarian.

"I'm captain Kirrahe, Third infiltration regiment STG. I'm afraid you just landed in a war zone, we're completely surrounded by AA guns in a 10 mile radius." The captain replied. It was quite troubling news.

"Bollocks!" Mads said to himself, Ashley could be heard in the background trying to suppress her laughter.

"Please, do you have any kind of plan?" Mads asked the Captain.

"We wait until the reinforcement from the council show up." He replied relaxed.

"We're the reinforcement" Kaiden said from behind Mads.

"What? No you can't be! I told them to send a fleet!" The captain remarked with confusion.

"I'm afraid your transmission was broken, we couldn't understand it. They sent us to check it out." Mads explained.

"I lost half my men trying to scope out this place!" Kirrahe said angrily as he kicked some sand.

"Calm down! What did you find?" Mads asked.

"We believe it to be Saren's base of operations. It contains a research facility, but it's crawling with hostiles." Kirrahe explained.

"Is the bastard here?" Mads asked, hoping this could be where it all ends.

"We don't know, but his Geth are everywhere and we have intercepted several comms referring to Saren." Kirrahe replied.

"What kind of research is he doing here?" Mads asked.

"He is breeding an army of angry Krogan" Kirrahe answered.

"How is that possible?" Wrex asked as he walked up on them.

"Well, it would appear that Saren has made a cure for the genophage." Kirrahe replied.

"Oh boy." Mads commented.

"Indeed. With this, Saren is able to overrun the Galaxy" Kirrahe explained.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad with the Geth already" Mads remarked.

"That's why we must destroy this facility and its research." Kirrahe replied.

"Destroy? I don't think so. Our people are dying. This cure can save them." Wrex said with a little anger in his voice.

"If that cure leaves this planet, the Krogan with overrun the galaxy again. We can't repeat that mistake!" Kirrahe stressed.

Wrex began walking up the Captain.

"We're not a mistake!" He said in his face while pointing a finger at the captain's face. Wrex then walked away even more angry then before.

"Is he going to be a problem? We already have enough angry Krogan to deal with" The captain asked nervously.

"I'll talk to him, see if I can't make him see things from our point of view" Mads promised while eying the Krogan, who was now busy shooting fish in the water with his shotgun.

"Thank you, commander. My men and I will prepare an attack plan, please give us some time" Kirrahe requested.

"See you later, Captain" Mads replied.

The captain went back into the tent to speak with his men, while Mads walked over to the angry Krogan. However Mads was stopped by Kaiden and Ashley.

"Be careful, commander. You never know with Krogan" Ashley warned.

"I need to talk to him." Mads replied.

"We got your back, commander" Kaiden reassured Mads.

"Thank you" Mads said as he walked over to the Krogan.

There was tension in the air as Mads got closer to Wrex. This could go very wrong in a matter of seconds, if it wasn't handled correctly. Mads decided to roll the dice.

"This isn't right, Romanov. If there is a cure in there, we can't destroy it!" Wrex demanded with clear anger in his voice.

"Listen Wrex, I know you are upset. If humans had such a disease and there was a cure, I too would be eager to get my hands on it. But you should focus your attention on Saren! He is the enemy here!" Mads replied.

"Really? Saren created a cure for my people. You want to destroy it. Help me out here, Romanov. The line between friend and foe is getting a little blurry from where I stand." Wrex said with a menacing voice as he stepped closer to Mads.

"You think Saren is going to use that cure for good? You think he is going to start a charity? It's a means to an end, and that ends is the submission of Krogans" Mads said in response.

"That is a chance we should take! This is the fate of my people we are talking about here" Wrex stated further. "I have been loyal so far, Romanov. You did more for me, than my family ever did. But if I'm going to keep following you, I need to know it is for the right reasons." Wrex said, he pointed his shotgun at Mads. Mads in response, however, did not pull his gun. A sign of goodwill.

"Wrex, please. These Krogan are nothing but tools, is that what you want for your race?" Mads asked. He had to admit, it wasn't funny staring at a gun barrel pointed at you, when you didn't have any sort of defense on your own.

Wrex took a few moments to think deeply. But it seemed like hours when tension was so high. Mads really didn't want to lose Wrex, he had been a good team member so far.

"No, we were tools for the council once. To thank us for saving their ass, they neutered us all. I doubt Saren will be as generous." Wrex replied.

A few more moments passed, but then Wrex finally lowered his gun.

"You made your point, Romanov. I don't like this, but I trust you enough to follow your lead. Just one thing: When we find Saren, I want his head" Wrex demanded.

"You and me both, brother." Mads replied.

Just as Mads was about to turn around, Wrex spoke again.

"Hey Romanov"

"Yeah?" Mads replied as he turned to face the massive Krogan again.

"We're cool?" He asked.

Wrex made the old human gesture of a handshake; it brought a smile to Mads' face.

"We're cool" Mads said as he accepted the handshake.

It felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulder, luckily this wasn't the day Mads was going to kill Wrex, and he hoped he would never have to either.

The rest of the team had watched from a safe distance, yet they had heard everything going on. They were all impressed with Mads' ability to talk sense to the Krogan, and for his bravely to not pull his gun on the Krogan.

Mads walked up to them.

"Well, that's that." Mads said.

"How can you be so causal about this?" Ashley asked.

"Things turned out alright, didn't they?" Mads replied.

"I never seen anyone talk down a Krogan like that before. We could have used you in C-sec" Garrus commented.

"Your skills are remarkable" Liara said.

"Alright, enough with the ass kissing. Let's hear what the Salarians have cooked up." Mads ordered.

"Yes sir!" They all responded.

The sun had already begun to set; it seemed they arrived quite late on the planet, and the whole fuss with Wrex had taken up some time.

"Tell me you got something, captain" Mads said as he entered the tent where the captain was.

"Of sorts, we can convert our ship's drive core into a twenty-kiloton ordnance. Crude, but effective." Kirrahe said.

"Nice. Drop that nuke from orbit and Saren can kiss his Turian ass goodbye." Ashley suggested.

"I'm afraid we can't do that, the facility is too well fortified for that. We'll have to place the bomb at a precise location." Kirrahe dismissed.

"Well, where do we take the nuke?" Mads asked.

"On the far side of the facility. Your ship can drop it off, but we need to infiltrate the base, disable the AA guns and neutralize any ground forces" The Captain said.

"But we don't have enough men for a ground attack!" Kaiden replied.

"Kaiden is right, this is high risk. Are you completely certain that there is no other way?" Mads asked.

"I'm afraid not, Commander. We know the risk. I will divide my men into three teams; we will hit the front of the facility, while you create a shadow team to sneak in from the back." Kirrahe explained.

"It will be a slaughterhouse, but it might work" Mads said.

"We're tougher than we look, commander. But it is true, not many of us will get out alive. And that makes what I'm going to ask of you even more difficult. I need one of your men to accompany me, to help coordinate the teams." Kirrahe requested.

Mads was silent for a little while, whoever he sent off could easily die. That blood would be on his hands, sort of.

"Damn, well, alright. We'll need someone who knows alliance communication protocols" Mads said.

"I volunteer!" Kaiden yelled from the back.

"Hold your horses, LT. Romanov will need you to arm the nuke, I'll go with the Salarians." Ashley said.

"With all due respect, Gunnery Chief. It is not your place to decide." Kaiden replied.

"Why is it, that whenever someone says 'with all due respect'. They really me 'kiss my ass'?

"Easy back there" Mads said to calm them down.

"You got a preference?" Mads asked the captain.

"Either will do, Commander. They both seem willing to give their live for the mission." Kirrahe replied.

Mads thought for a few moments. When he handed over the person, they would be out of his grip.

"Ashley, you're up. Don't be a hero, please?" Mads pleaded.

"I'll try my best" She replied.

"We'll storm the facility in the morning, no use in doing it during nighttime. I'll have my men coordinate with your team and the Normandy." Kirrahe said. Mads nodded.

Kirrahe left to talk with his team, making some sort of inspirational speech. It was definitely well delivered. Now it was a waiting game for the team. They would be hitting the base in the morning. While pretty much everyone did their own thing, Mads decided to take a walk around the beach. It was quite beautiful; something about the water had always spoken to him, alongside the cold.

Mads looked over the ocean of Virmire. The sun was setting, and it looked very peaceful and beautiful. Mads pulled out a cigarette and began smoking. The upcoming mission was going to be tough, and his gut feeling hadn't gone away, he feared it might be the last mission for one of his crew.

The crew around the camp was busy doing their own things. Wrex had calmed down and was speaking with Garrus. Tali walked around the camp looking for the commander. She went up to Liara.

"Hello Liara, do you know where the commander is?" Tali asked.

"I think he went for a walk, why do you ask?" Liara asked back.

"I just wanted to speak with him" Tali replied.

"I think went that way" Liara said as she pointed towards the beach.

"Thank you" Tali said as she walked in that direction.

Tali walked for a little while, before spotting Mads. She noticed the small clouds of smoke coming from him and she a bit confused by this. She approached the commander, who was busy observing the ocean.

"Commander?" She asked.

Mads turned around to face her, he still had his cigarette in his mouth. He took it out and exhaled some smoke.

"Tali, how may I help you?" He asked in response.

"What are you doing?" Tali asked.

Mads looked at her confused for a few seconds, before understanding her question.

"Oh, you mean this?" Mads asked as he pointed to the cigarette.

Tali simply nodded.

"It's called smoking." Mads said as he took another drag from the cigarette.

"What does it involve?" Tali asked.

"Whenever I inhale from the cigarette, smoke gets down to my lungs." Mads said.

"But, isn't that dangerous?" She asked.

"It is indeed. There is a high chance that I get lung cancer or some other illness later in life" Mads said taking another drag.

"Then why do you do it?" She asked.

"Ever heard about nicotine?" Mads asked back.

"No" She replied.

"Well, nicotine is a byproduct of the tobacco. When introduced into the blood, it gives a calming effect, however, it is addicting. I have been addicted since I was a teenager" Mads explained.

Tali nodded in understanding.

"So, why are you out here?" She asked.

"I like the ocean, there is something so calm about it. When I was young, I wanted to be a sailor" Mads said.

"What made you change your mind?" She asked.

"Reality." Mads answered.

"What do you mean?" She asked further.

"After I was done with business school, I was drafted. But that is a story for another time" Mads said as he threw the cigarette on the ground and putting it out with the tip of his boot.

"We got a big day tomorrow, we better get some rest. Was there anything else?" Mads asked as he began to walk.

"I wanted to ask you something else" She said.

"Yes?" Mads asked.

"How come you are not the other humans?" Tali asked.

"What do you mean?" Mads asked back confused.

"Your clothing style, your weapons, your speech, and your kindness" Tali said.

Mads laughed a bit at that.

"That's because I'm an older breed of humans" Mads replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Tali asked.

Mads stopped in his tracks and sighed.

 _Why couldn't she just be happy with that?_ He thought.

"You are stubborn, Tali. Keep it up, and one day you might actually get to know it" Mads said.

"Bosh'tet" Tali said under her breath. She went with Mads back to the camp.

They all went to sleep, with the Salarians keeping watch. When they woke up in the morning, they all prepared.

* * *

 **7/5 2183**

The Salarian team and Ashley went to the front to begin the attack. Mads and the others sneaked around back.

"Keep in radio contact." Mads ordered over the radio.

"Copy, if there is any way to take stress of our back, please do utilize it." The captain requested over the radio.

"I'll have a look around." Mads said back.

Mads looked around to his team mates and gave a hand signal to move out. They stayed together. They came under Geth fire pretty quickly. It small a small exchange of bullets before they could continue. Mads disabled their communications. They moved to another small structure, where they were able to shoot the Geth's satellite uplinks. They were also able to sabotage the fuel tanks for the drones and fighters.

Kirrahe gave them confirmation over the radio that the flyvers weren't going around for second attacks. Making their lives a bit easier.

Garrus and Tali helped each other to hack into the building. Garrus suggested sounding the alarm on the other side of the base, but it would make the frontal team attack heavier. Mads decided to not sound the alarm, in order to help the other team out as much as possible.

The entire place seemed wrong. There was more going on than Krogan breeding. They came across several trapped Salarians, who had undergone cruel experiments. Some of them seemed stabile enough to release, and they thanked him, however there was also some who had suffered too much. It was quite sad.

The team fell over an Asari hiding under her desk. She claimed to be a victim there, mistreated by Saren. She pleaded for her life. Mads thought about it, she did after all give them access to Saren's lab. He was pointing his gun at her and she had her eyes closed, waited for the shot.

"Get your sorry ass out of here" Mads said as he holstered his gun.

"Thank you!" She said as she tried to get past the others.

"And you better run fast, because a nuke is about to go off!" Mads yelled at her.

"Oh goddess!" She yelled as she ran for her life.

Mads and the team stepped into the elevator and descended down to Saren's lab. In the lab, there was another beacon.

"I never thought I would see another of those" Mads remarked as he eyed it.

"This is astonishing!" Liara proclaimed.

"Let's hope it have the missing pieces" Mads said as he approached it.

Once again the beacon grabbed him and gave him a vision. It made more sense that the other ones, however, it was still not telling much. Mads hoped Liara might get some Intel from it. Mads fell to the ground, luckily he didn't pass out this time.

"Are you alright?" Tali said as she came to his side.

"I'm fine" Mads said as he stood up.

They began to walk out, when they discovered something strange. The terminal was glowing red and was showing a figure of Sovereign, Saren's flagship. Mads approached it.

"You are not Saren." It spoke with a cold and menacing voice.

"What is that? Some kind of VI interface?" Tali asked.

"Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding" It said.

"I'm afraid not" Garrus replied to Tali's question.

"There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign." It spoke.

"So, Saren found an actual Reaper. This just got a lot more interesting." Mads remarked.

"Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they chose to call us is irrelevant. We simply... are" Sovereign spoke.

"You think you are real slick, huh?" Mads asked Sovereign.

"The Protheans vanished over 50,000 years ago. You couldn't have been there, it's impossible!" Garrus said completely baffled.

"Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal, the pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything." Sovereign explained.

"I think not, I will stop you and your entire race of machines!" Mads said.

"Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken." Sovereign replied.

"Cycle? What cycle?" Tali asked confused.

"The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance, and at the apex of their glory they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They mere found them - the legacy of my kind." Sovereign explained.

"So you made the mass relays? Then why do you just leave them for others to find?" Mads asked.

"Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays. Our technology. By using it, your civilization develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic life. You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it." Sovereign said.

"Guess you never heard the chaos theory then? In chaos there is order?" Mads asked.

"Irrelevant" Sovereign dismissed.

"And who spat you out?" Mads asked.

"We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure." Sovereign said.

"You sure are cocky. Don't worry, I'll be sure to dismantle you" Mads said.

"Your words are as empty as your future. I am the Vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over..." Sovereign said as he disappeared from view. A large roar and the sound of the ship flying off could be heard.

Joker informed them that Sovereign just did a maneuver that would have teared the Normandy in half. He told them to worry it up.

They shoot their way to the AA towers; it was a hard fight the Geth put up. No doubt under orders from Saren. They finally reached the console. Mads quickly tapped the button the disable the towers.

Geth came up the elevator, but they were quickly killed. The team used the elevator to come down to the breeding grounds for the Krogans. Several angry Krogans had escaped their tanks, and were now eager to fight. Mads and the team being the only enemy around, that made them a hefty target.

They came out to what must have been the middle of the facility. There was a large stream of water passing by. The team waited for the Normandy to land with the nuke. Kaiden and several other crew members came out carrying the nuke. They placed in down in the water.

"Bomb is in position, we're all set here" Kaiden said.

"Commander, do you read me?" Ashley asked over the radio.

"The nuke is almost ready, Ashley. You better get your ass to the rendezvous point!" Mads ordered.

"Can't do, commander. We're pinned by the AA tower!" Ashley replied.

"Ahh shit! I'm coming down there to save you!" Mads said.

"It will still take a few minutes to arm the bomb. Go get her!" Kaiden said.

Mads nodded and began running in direction of the AA tower. As soon as they stepped of the elevator, a Geth dropship flew by.

"Kaiden, you got a troop ship headed your way!" Ashley said over the radio.

"It's already here. There is Geth all over the place!" Kaiden almost yelled over the radio.

"Can you hold them off?" Mads asked.

"There is too many! I don't think we can, commander! I'm arming the nuke!" Kaiden yelled.

"Lieutenant, what are you doing?!" Mads asked.

"Making sure this thing goes off no matter what!" Kaiden replied.

Mads thought for a couple moments, before Kaiden spoke again.

"It's done! Go get Ashley and get out of here!" Kaiden yelled.

"NO! Save the Lieutenant! I can hold them off!" Ashley yelled back.

"FUCK!" Mads yelled. He knew he had to make a choice. This was what his gut feeling had been warning him about. So it came down to the two soldiers who had been with him since the beginning.

Mads remained silent for a few moments, until he decided.

"Kaiden, radio Joker and tell him to meet us at the bomb site." Mads said in an almost quiet voice.

"I-, well yes, Commander" Kaiden replied.

"You know it is the right choice, Kaiden!" Ashley said.

"Ashley... I'm so sorry. I'll make sure you'll be remembered as a hero. I'll be sure to lift that Williams curse." Mads told her.

"I understand, commander. I don't regret a thing" Ashley replied.

"You are a hell of a soldier, Williams!" Mads remarked.

The team took the elevator back down and went into the giant area with the nuke. The situation was already dire as they arrived. The crew members of the Normandy were getting slaughtered by the Geth. Kaiden was pinned down by the Nuke.

Mads and the team began clearing the area of Geth.

Ashley voice came over the radio for the last time, telling them to arm the nuke. It was the last anyone heard from her.

When the last Geth fell, the man of the hour finally appeared, Saren. He was flying on some sort small metal disk. He fired at both the Commander and the team. They all leaped for cover.

Saren jumped down and began speaking.

"Nice work, Romanov. My Geth were convinced that the STG team was the primary threat. It took up most of my resources. That also makes it sad, that is was all for nothing. I can't let you destroy everything I have made here. You don't understand what is at stake!" Saren said.

"I had a nice chat with Sovereign, he filled me in. I don't understand what you are doing! Helping an enemy at the road to war?" Mads replied.

"We have both seen the visions; we both know what they are capable of! It is pointless to revolt, we might as well submit!" Saren explained.

"I will be a cold day in hell before I submit to the reapers!"

"The Protheans tried to fight, they were utterly destroyed! I had hoped to protect myself with this facility from Sovereign" Saren said.

"You are already a tool for Sovereign! He just tells you what you want to hear!" Mads said.

"Sovereign needs me! He wouldn't do that!" Saren said.

"As soon as he gets what he wants, he will dispose of you" Mads replied.

It was silent for a few moments.

"Have you ever heard the old German song: _Die Forelle_?" Mads asked.

"No, I have not" Saren answered confused.

"It is about a fisherman that grows weary, trying to catch an elusive fish, so he muddies the waters. He confuses the fish. The fish doesn't realize until too late, that it has swum into a trap. So my question is: which one of us is the fisherman, and which is the fish?" Mads asked.

Saren was confused, but was interrupted by a bullet from Mads. Now a firefight was in the making. Saren hopped back on his weird flying saucer and began attacking from the air.

As the fight progressed, Saren fired a rocket that knocked most of Mads' team off balance, including Mads. Saren used the opportunity to try and melee attack Mads. It proved to be a grave mistake on his part.

Saren reached out to punch Mads, but Mads intercepted his arm and twisted it backwards, making Saren fall over a bit. Mads used his elbow to hit him on the back of his head. Saren quickly got up and grabbed Mads to push him away. Mads could feel his extra strength from his robotic implants, yet surprisingly he didn't know how to utilize it correctly. Mads had the advantage of being flexible and could adapt. The fight was long and hard, until Mads managed to tackle Saren, as Saren was trying to get up, Mads pulled out his knife and jammed it down towards Saren's hand, hoping to nail it to the ground. Saren moved his hand a bit, but it wasn't enough. Saren's finger on his left hand came clean off.

"I will kill you!" Saren promised as he held his bleeding left hand close.

"I'm still waiting!" Mads replied mockingly.

They fought on. It was a stalemate for a longtime, until Mads pinned Saren against the water. Mads held his boot on his head, making it impossible for Saren to get air. It would have been the end for Saren, if it wasn't for the nuke's alarm going off, that caused Mads to shift his attention. It was enough for Saren to push himself up and knocked Mads over. Saren quickly reached for his little flying saucer and flew away.

Mads and the crew quickly retreated back to the Normandy, the nuke was counting down. They flew away and watched it go off. Mads had a tear in his eye as he remembered Ashley and her heroic actions. They had managed to pick up the remaining Salarians, including the Captain. At least it wasn't a complete loss.


	25. Chapter 24: The show must go on

**A/N: I do realize that I write this in pretty much every chapter that I have released in the last couple of months, but I'm truly sorry that things move so slowly.**

 **To those wondering over the fact that my other story hasn't been updated in over a month: I just ain't satisfied with the chapter yet, and I have been buried in schoolwork and will most likely continue to be under heavy bombardment.**

 **Kind Regards**

 **-KanisRussell**

* * *

 **7/5 2183**

 **Normandy**

It was quiet on the Normandy, even more so than usual. Everyone was in shock over the loss of a team member. It was the same atmosphere when Jenkins died on Eden Prime, just more pressing this time around.

Mads made his way from his quarters to the debriefing room. It was hard not to find it depressing; everyone was grieving in their own way, while not everyone had been friendly with Ashley. They did respect her and her abilities.

Mads stepped into the comms room and found everyone sitting at their respected chair, however unlike most times, they weren't busy talking to each other. It would seem that the alien part of the crew did in fact have some respect for the otherwise xenophobic Gunnery Chief. It was clear that her death had taken a toll upon the lieutenant, but that much was obvious to Mads, they had after all begun some sort of relationship while on the Normandy. Mads, however, had no idea just how serious this relationship was.

Mads planted himself in his seat and remain quiet for a little while. He had experienced loss of fellow teammates before, yet this time it felt different, mostly because of the feeling he had before the mission. He had some good gut feelings every now and then, however this time it had been stronger and more defining. He wondered for a brief moment if it had been a message from above, trying to warn him.

Of all the people in the room, Kaiden was the one the break the silence.

"I don't understand it... I can't believe Ashley is gone. How could we just leave her behind?!" Kaiden asked while on the verge of tears.

"Lieutenant, I didn't leave Ashley behind just for the heck of it. She knew the risks and she died making sure this mission was a success. If you are looking for a scapegoat, blame either me or Saren." Mads replied firmly.

"You should have left me there instead of her!" Kaiden agrued while still trying to hold back the tears.

"Then it would just have been Ashley here crying instead of you. I valued your skills more than hers, so I made a choice." Mads replied in order to calm him down.

Kaiden then fell back to silence, perhaps because of a lack of words, or maybe due to needing time to let it sink in.

"Let's all remember the brave soldier than was Ashley Williams. This mission has proven to be very hard for us all. In the end Ashley went to extra mile in order to secure this galaxy and everyone in it. Ashley will not be forgotten, and I will make sure that this ' _Williams curse_ ' is removed from any other Williams' family members that are hoping to join the alliance. Ashley would want us to build further from this gift she has given us and not dwell on it." Mads preached to the others sitting around in silence.

Another minute of silence fell upon them, until Liara spoke up.

"Commander, if I may?" She asked.

"Go ahead" Mads said.

"There is a possibility that the Beacon you encountered on Virmire had the missing pieces of the vision. I can help you piece them together" Liara suggested.

"Alright, it is worth a try" Mads replied as he rose from his seat and meet Liara in the middle of the room.

It was the same as the last time; however the vision was even clearer now than before. It painted a picture of a certain location, however it wasn't some place Mads' could recognize. It was perhaps now that Mads realized just how much of a blessing in disguise Liara actually was.

"Did you gather anything from it?" Mads asked hasting for a possible lead.

"It's a distress call send out across the Prothean Empire. A warning against the reapers, however it was sent too late." Liara explained.

"Anything else?" Mads asked.

"The vision also showed locations. Some of them I recognized from my research! It's Ilos! That is where Saren is headed. Ilos lies beyond the Mu relay!" Liara said in excitement.

"Then Ilos is where we are headed." Mads said.

"That is going to be quite hard. Neither alliance nor council ships are welcome there" Garrus said from his seat.

"It's the only lead we have, and I'll be damned if I don't follow it!" Mads replied.

"Saren will have the Geth fleet in orbit around Ilos. We have to get reinforcement from the council!" Liara stressed. She began to feel dizzy however and explained that the joining was exhausting and that she needed to lie down for a while.

"Alright, everyone is dismissed. I'll try to speak with the council." Mads ordered. Everyone began to leave the room. Just before Kaiden left, Mads spoke up.

"Hey Kaiden. Can you meet me in my cabin once I'm done here?" Mads asked.

"Yeah, I can do that" Kaiden replied while sounding very tired.

"Then I will see you there" Mads said as Kaiden left the room. Mads went over to the console and patched the councilors through.

"Commander Romanov. It is good to see the mission on Virmire was a success." Councilor Tevos said.

"The Geth are already bad enough, if an army of Krogan would be led by Saren, who knows what would have happened." Councilor Sparatus said.

"Yeah, except that they would have been slaves underneath Sovereign, a reaper" Mads added.

"You said the same thing in your report. This is quite alarming... if it turns out to be true." Councilor Valern said.

"I spoke to it, and even Saren admitted it." Mads said.

"Saren is playing you for a fool, commander. Saren probably still has contacts on the citadel who informed him of your earlier reports of your 'visions'." Councilor Sparatus said.

"It is indeed a possibility that Saren is feeding you false information to throw you of balance." Councilor Valern suggested.

"Somethings never change, do they?" Mads said to himself.

"Try to see things from our perspective, commander. Saren and the Geth is the only clear threat so far. As far as we know the reapers only exist inside your visions" Councilor Tevos explained.

"We govern trillions of lives and so our decisions affect them, commander. Your words are simply not enough." Councilor Valern said

"We regrettably can't take any official actions here, commander. However, as a spectre you have the authority to act as you see fit" Councilor Tevos said.

"If you truly believe that the sovereign is the real threat, then you must take the steps necessary to stop it. And Saren" Councilor Valern said.

"And yet you prohibit me from doing just that!" Mads commented.

"That is not true. We can discuss this further at the council chambers once you arrive" Councilor Tevos said as a final note.

The holograms disappeared and the room fell to silence. Mads let out a sigh before headed out of the room and down to his quarters.

He was greeted by the familiar sight that was his room. He took a minute to think before moving two chairs over to the table in the center of the room. Mads then grabbed two shots glass and pulled out of vodka from his small crate sitting beside his desk. Mads then sat down in one of the chairs and waited for Kaiden to come knocking.

A couple of minutes went by without Kaiden showing up. Mads decided to relocate his ashtray from his desk to the table. He pulled out his packet of cigarettes. 'Prince, Rich taste 100s' was written upon it. His favorite brand.

He put the small pack down on the table, put not before taking a cigarette and placing it in between his lips. He then took his zippo lighter and lit up his cigarette. He leaned back into his chair and took a drag of it. Inhaling the smoke introduced nicotine back into his blood, making him feel a bit calmer. He was about to take another drag when he heard knocking on his door.

Mads rose from his seat to open the door. Kaiden was standing outside, with red eyes. Most likely from grieving.

"Please come in" Mads said and stepped aside to let the lieutenant inside.

"Thank you" He said in a weak voice.

"Have a seat" Mads suggested as he sat down in his seat.

Kaiden did just that, he was however surprised to see the bottle of alcohol and ashtray standing on the table.

Mads took the bottle and opened it. He filled the two glasses up and gave Kaiden the one. Kaiden looked upon Mads in confusion.

"How are you?" Mads asked.

"I'm fine" Kaiden quickly answered.

"I don't really believe that, Kaiden" Mads remarked.

"Commander, you don't need to worry about me" Kaiden replied.

"Kaiden, let's get one thing clear. As soon as you stepped through that door. I ceased being your commander, and became your friend" Mads said as he took a drag from his cigarette.

Kaiden remained silent, most likely from shock to the commander's comment.

"Let me ask again. How are you feeling?" Mads asked.

"I- well... not good" Kaiden said.

"Ashley's death broke something inside you, didn't it?" Mads asked.

Kaiden looked up at him, and then over to his drink.

"You could say that" Kaiden replied as downed his drink. The vodka hit him hard, not like all those cocktails he used to drink. Kaiden let out a cough.

Mads let out a quick laugh.

"I should have warned you that is was pure Russian vodka" Mads laughed.

Once again there was a silence in the room. A theme was quickly becoming old to Mads. Mads downed his own drink.

Mads filled up both his own glass and Kaiden's glass. As he was pouring up Kaiden's glass he said.

"I know you and Ashley was close, and believe me when I said I know how it feels like to lose people you love. You have my condolences. But you aren't the only one dealing with her death. I was the one who signed her death warrant, and that is not something I walk away from casually"

"I don't blame you for her death, commander. You did what you had to" Kaiden replied as he took his drink in his hand.

"That doesn't make it any easier. Ashley will be remembered for her good deeds to this galaxy." Mads said.

"She was a shining example of what a good soldier should be like" Kaiden said as he wiped away a tear in his eye.

"To Ashley!" Mads said as he raised his glass high.

"To Ashley" Kaiden followed suit.

They both downed their drinks. Kaiden let out another cough as the vodka got down, but it wasn't as loud as before.

"If you ever need support, don't hesitate to ask." Mads said.

"Thank you, commander. It means a lot" Kaiden replied.

They sat in silence for a few seconds. Mads took the time to fill up their glasses again.

"Have you ever heard about William Sheridan?" Mads asked to break the silence.

"The name rings a bell" Kaiden said.

"He was one of the best and brightest in the Alliance. His biotic abilities almost unmatched in the both boot camp and the N7 program. He went from being a petty criminal on the street of earth to being one of the best soldiers in the alliance. However his career fell short, when in 2177 he was attacked alongside his squad on Akuze by a Thresher Maw. He was the only survivor. Imagine being him, losing everyone you had come to care about." Mads said as he leaned back into his seat. Mads could have used himself as a better example, but he had to stick to the old promise he made himself.

"Must have been horrible, what happened to him?" Kaiden asked.

"Honorably discharged due to an illness he caught when fighting the beast." Mads answered.

Mads leaned in over the table to Kaiden and spoke in a lower voice.

"Rumors have it, that he ended up joining Cerberus"

"Damn, I guess even great people fall" Kaiden remarked.

"They do indeed, however I think he had noble intentions. He was probably one of the only people who could have rivaled me in becoming a spectre, well him and Conrad Rorke" Mads said.

"Conrad Rorke?" Kaiden asked.

"Don't tell me you never heard about Conrad Rorke" Mads said.

"I haven't" Kaiden replied.

"Possibly one of the greatest tragedy of the alliance. A boy born on Mindior, only to see his entire family slaughtered by Batarians. He too ended up becoming an N7 operative. He was ruthless, even more so than me. He led the team assigned to attack Torfan in 2178, he got ¾ of his team killed, and when he had captured the Batarians, he decided to kill them all. My 'nephew' Joe was actually under his command. Anyway, he was charged with war crimes on earth and was dishonorably discharged from the Alliance. If it wasn't because he had effetely lowered the attack rate of the Batarian slavers, he would have been jailed. Ironically he ended up becoming a boss of a mercenary group in the Terminus system." Mads explained.

"That's quite a story." Kaiden said.

"Indeed, the Alliance has tried countless times to take him down, but the slippery bastard got contacts both inside the alliance and on the citadel." Mads explained further.

"I hope we don't run into him" Kaiden said.

"Me neither." Mads said.

They sat once again in silence for a few moments.

"Thank you for your words, commander. And for the drink" Kaiden said as he rose from his seat.

"No problem" Mads said with a smile.

"By the way, I didn't know you had a nephew." Kaiden said as he stood in the door frame.

"Yeah, well he is not my nephew per say. But I view him as one." Mads replied.

"I see. I will see you later, commander." Kaiden said as a final statement as he went out of the door.

Mads remained seated for a while. Pretty much just thinking about everything that had happened so far. His mind also drifted towards the two individuals he spoke about earlier. He wondered if he ever would run into them.

Mads rose from his seat and made his way to the CIC. As soon as he arrived, Joker called out to him over the intercom.

It seems the council listened to Mads for once after all. They had mastered a fleet guarding the citadel, like he had warned them to. Hopefully they would send him to Ilos to finish the job. Mads plotted a course to the citadel.

* * *

 **9/5 2183**

The Normandy pulled up into the citadel. Mads was putting on his armor on inside the quarters. Mads looked around his quarters to look for anything he had missed. His glance fell upon his family photo, still standing on his work desk. He smiled just then, a small tear rolling down his cheek.

Mads took his 44. Magnum and opened the chamber, the 6 bullets were firmly in place, like they should be. He slid the revolver back into the thigh holster. Mads stepped out of the room and went up the stairs.

Mads waited for the airlock to open up, it was running its usual scan. As the door opened, he quickly went out and straight into the elevator.

The elevator was slow, as it always had been. The fact that this galaxy had ships that could fly at the speed of light, yet wasn't able to make an elevator go any faster than this, was beyond him.

As the elevator finally arrived at the C-sec headquarters. Mads rushed out and went to the council chambers. His team could barely keep up.

They finally reached the council chamber after riding with a couple more slow riding elevators. In the chambers, the councilors had already gotten ready. Udina was there as well, not necessary a good sign.

If there was ever a power hungry politician, it would be Udina. Something told Mads that one day, the ambassador would try to seize power in a coup, he hoped to god that would never be the case.

"Good job, Romanov. Your actions have proved that real action is needed against Saren. And the council is ready to take that step" Udina said as he spotted Mads.

"The ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the citadel- as you believe- we will be ready for him" Councilor Tevos stated.

"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking to the citadel space to the Terminus systems" Councilor Sparatus explained.

"That's not enough. Saren is looking for the conduit on Ilos right now! We have to do something!" Mads stressed.

"Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus systems, commander. If we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is a full-scale war." Councilor Valern replied.

"We have Saren where we need him, commander. Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy, now he is exposed and therefore no longer a threat." Udina turned and said to Mads.

"If you refuse to take action here, then I will. Send me after Saren. The Normandy won't trigger a war on behalf of the council nor the alliance." Mads replied to Udina.

"Your recklessness will end up getting us all killed, commander. Denoting a nuclear device on Virmire is hardly a sign of being discreet!" Councilor Sparatus spoke with hard words.

"Your style was well suited for the Traverse, but Ilos is a different story. We have it under control" Councilor Tevos said.

"If Saren finds what he is looking for, then we are all fucked! I will stop him, with or without your approval" Mads replied.

"Ambassador Udina, I get the feeling the commander isn't letting this go" Councilor Sparatus spoke like Mads wasn't even there.

"This is big game politics, Romanov. You done your duty, but if you continue along this path, you will cost humanity more than you are worth." Udina explained.

"You fucker! You better not be cutting me off, you power-hungry prick!" Mads replied on the verge of yelling it.

"I have locked the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded" Udina said.

"Sooner or later you are going to realize that your ass is out in the wind and it's just a matter of time before someone will kick it!" Mads said.

"I think it's high time you left, commander. The council can handle this, with my help of course" Udina said as he turned to face the council.

Mads' hand moved to his holster, his fingers gripped the grip of the gun. Mads was on the verge of pulling out his gun and shooting the fucker's bollocks off. But Tali seemed to have noticed his intentions and quickly stopped Mads before he could do anything he would regret.

"Commander, he is not worth it! We will another way" Tali said as she put her hand on Mads' hand that was locked to the grip of the Magnum.

There was still a bit of tension in the air. Until Mads spoke with a soft voice.

"You're right, Tali. Let's get out of here"

She could feel his hand relaxing and letting go of the grip.

The team left the chamber; it was a silent ride back. At least until Garrus spoke up.

"So the council and your ambassador burned us, any bright ideas now?" Garrus asked.

"Just head back to the ship, I need some time to think." Mads replied with a tried voice.

"Understood, commander" Garrus said.

When the elevator stopped and the team went out, Mads received a call from no other than Captain Anderson.

"Hey Anderson, what is it? I'm kind of in a rush here" Mads asked as he took the call.

"I know, and I might be able to help with that. Meet me in the nightclub down in the wards, the one called Flux" Anderson replied.

"I know the place, I'll be right there" Mads said as he ending the call.

"Who was it?" Garrus asked.

"The good captain. Can you and Tali come with me? The rest of y'all head on back to the Normandy" Mads asked.

"Sure" Both Tali and Garrus replied at the same time.

Kaiden, Liara and Wrex went back to the Normandy, seemingly grumpy over the fact that it wasn't them going with the commander. As they disappeared from view, Garrus spoke up.

"What did Captain Anderson want?" Garrus asked.

"To help us. It seems he pulls my ass out of the fire once again" Mads answered.

The walked down to the wards, along the scums that inhabited it. They finally reached the nightclub. Mads scanned the club, it was as nightclubs usually were, populated by young people having a good time. Mads spotted Anderson sitting at table for himself, having a drink.

Mads approached the bar first. He waited a few moments for a bartender to come and take his order. To his surprise it was a Volus who came to serve him.

"What would it * _Inhaling*_ be?" He asked.

"A black Russian, please" Mads replied.

The Volus nodded and went to work. It went surprisingly quick, considering all the other customers he was serving at the same time. The Volus placed the drink on the bar and Mads payed for it and picked it up.

"If you two want something to drink, order it and send me the bill" Mads said to Tali and Garrus.

Garrus didn't waste any time to order a Turian drink. Tali didn't move, presumably she was thinking. Mads almost flew over the floor to Anderson.

"Anderson, you old hound! How are you?" Mads asked as he took a seat in front of Anderson.

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you. I tried to get a message to you before you docked, but it was too late." Anderson answered.

"Yeah, it sucks. I appreciate your effort. You said you could help?" Mads asked.

"You can't give up. Udina and the council both think this is over, but we both know it is not. You have to get to Ilos!" Anderson demanded.

"I wish it was that simple, Anderson. But Udina saw fit to ground my ship" Mads replied as he took a sip of his drink.

"I know. The citadel systems locked out all the Normandy's systems. But if we override the Ambassador's orders, we can bring the Normandy back under your command. You could be long gone before anyone knows what even happened." Anderson suggested.

"Anderson, that would most likely be treason on your end. Who knows what will happen to you!" Mads replied worryingly.

"Nothing compared to what will happen to the galaxy if Saren finds the conduit. You are the only one who can stop him, Romanov. I'll gladly do my part to help you achieve that goal." Anderson said.

"I'll gladly take my chances, Anderson. But what about the crew? They might not look at it the same as I do." Mads countered.

"The crew of the Normandy is as loyal as they get to their commanding officer. You and I both know that. They will follow you to hell and back." Anderson explained.

"I'll seize the chance if you grant me it, Anderson. But I can't ask this of you" Mads said.

"You won't have to. I can unlock it from a terminal in the council chambers. You have a few minutes before anyone realized what has happened." Anderson replied.

"That area is patrolled by guards, how are you going to get in?" Garrus broke in and said.

"Leave that to me. Just make sure you are on the Normandy when the lock down is lifted." Anderson replied.

"Are you sure there isn't another way?" Mads asked.

"It was Udina who issued the lockdown order. If I can hack into his computer, maybe I can override it" Anderson suggested.

"I doubt that Udina will let you do that" Tali said.

"If he is there, I'll just have to think of something" Anderson said.

"He will charge you with treason as well if he catches you." Tali continued.

"What do you say, commander? Should I try my luck with citadel patrols, or hack into Udina's computer?" Anderson asked.

Mads took a few moments to think about it, neither option was really all that favorable.

"Hack into Udina's computer. It's his fault we are all sitting here right now" Mads said.

"I agree. He made this personal." Anderson replied.

"Good luck, Anderson. I'll try to end this" Mads said as he shook hands with Anderson.

"I know you will." Anderson said with a smile.

Mads, Garrus and Tali left the bar and went back to the Normandy in a hurry. This was their only chance at setting things straight and getting an edge.

Once onboard, Mads said on the comms that anyone who did not wish to be part of their rebellion, had every right to leave the Normandy. Mads knew they were loyal, but even he didn't expect them all to follow him. No one left the ship. A smile appeared on his lips.

Mads and Joker waited impatiently for their signal. Once the controls changed color to green, they would be clear for lift-off.

It took a few minutes of silent waiting before they got their signal. But finally they got their greenlight to leave. They flew away fast, pushing the Normandy to its limit. They were away and headed to Ilos.

 _Here I come, you Turian fuck._


	26. Chapter 25: The end of the beginning

**9/5 2183**

 **Normandy**

 **On route to the Mu Relay**

Mads was sitting at his table cleaning his 44. Magnum. It had been a couple of hours since their departure from the Citadel. Most major news outlets were already busy printing story about the new rouge spectre. Music was playing in the background. Mads had lit up a smoke in his mouth. He had cleaned both his Kalashnikov and his AA-12. His signature weapon was all that remained.

He was examining the barrel before cleaning it, when he heard a knock on the door. Confused that someone had come to him, since most of the crew was preparing in their own way, he called for the person to come in.

The door opened to reveal Tali standing there. She walked into Mads' quarters. Mads stared at her in confusion.

"Evening, Tali. How may I help you?" Mads asked as he continued cleaning the barrel.

"I was wondering if we could talk" She replied.

Mads stopped cleaning the gun and looked at her for a little while.

"Sure, have a seat" Mads said as he pointed to the seat in front of him at the table.

Tali sat down and remained silent for a little while, whatever words she had prepared died down in her throat.

"What did you want to discuss?" Mads asked as he began cleaning the gun again.

"What are you going to do?" She asked back.

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do. First I'll secure the conduit from Saren. Then I'll plant his Turian ass 6 feet in the cold hard ground" Mads replied with an angry voice as he picked up the pace of cleaning his gun.

"You're tense, is this getting personal?" Tali asked.

Mads put down the gun and looked Tali in her eyes.

"Hell yeah it's getting personal. That cunt thinks he has won, the councilors and my own goddamn ambassador burned me and most of the galaxy probably thinks I'm a traitor now." Mads answered with some anger in his voice.

Tali didn't expect such an answer. She thought he would have been more... well, diplomatic.

"Sorry about that. Things are indeed a little tense." Mads said as he saw Tali's reaction.

Tali remained quiet for a little while. Mads stopped cleaning his magnum, spun the chamber and put down on the table.

"Your desire to know more about me hasn't lessened, has it?" Mads asked.

"No" Tali answered.

Mads rose from his seat and went over to his desk, he grabbed the photo of his family and went back to the table. Mads placed the photo on the table so it was facing Tali.

"As I have already told you, that is my family" Mads said as he pointed to the photo.

Tali took a few moments to examine the photo. On the photo, they were all smiling. Mads was standing in the middle in what appeared to be a colorful ceremonial uniform. Behind him on each side, was what appeared to be his parents. To his side were a male and a female, what Tali assumed to be his siblings.

"You wanted to know what happened to them? Current status: Deceased." Mads said coldly as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know" Tali apologized.

"Most don't, and I had hoped to keep it that way" Mads replied coldly.

Tali was afraid that Mads was now angry at her for digging into his personal life.

"I'm sorry" She apologized once again.

"Don't be. You were persistent and I respect that. I think you earned that knowledge" Mads said with a smile.

"How did they die?" Tali asked suddenly.

Mads looked at her for a little while, not sure how to answer the question. Should he lie and avoid her finding out? Or would it be better for her to know? Normally he would have gone with the former to stick with his protocols, yet with Tali he wasn't sure. Something was digging away at him, and it bugged him that he didn't know what it was.

"Natural causes" The words just flew out of his mouth.

"How old were they when they got you?" Tali asked further to feed her curiosity.

"Tell you what, Tali. If we survive this whole ordeal with Saren, then I will tell you everything you want to know over a drink. Sounds fair?" Mads proposed and offered his hand for a handshake.

Tali thought for a while about it. "Deal" She said as shook his hand. She had become familiar with the human gesture after spending the last couple of weeks on the Normandy.

"There was something I wanted to give you" Mads said as he rose from his seat. He went over to the crate sitting by the desk and began looking through it.

"You have already given me too much" Tali remarked as she watched him dig through the crate.

"Nonsense" Mads replied as he continued his digging. He found what he was looking for, a small box. He went back to the table and put it in front of Tali.

Tali stared at it for a while, not really sure what to do. Mads reached over the table and opened the small box to reveal what was inside.

It was a golden necklace with the crucifix on it. Tali didn't know what it was, but it seemed to be some kind of symbol.

"My grandmother gave it to me when I turned 14. She was a devout catholic from Nürnberg. I didn't believe in God back then and I never believed in carrying my prophet on my neck. I would like you to have it" Mads said.

"But why?" Tali asked.

"A souvenir from your travels. Maybe one day when this is all over, you'll show it to your kids and tell them of the time you travelled with a human crew. I don't expect you to wear it, but I would like to gift it to you. I know you don't share the same religion as I do, but I figured it might carry some weight" Mads explained.

"Won't you need it?" Tali asked.

"Like I said, I don't believe in the need for the lord to hang around my neck. I already got him watching my back, quite literally" Mads replied with a wink.

Tali looked at Mads confused, unsure what he meant by that. Their talk however was interrupted.

"Going through the Mu Relay in a few minutes, commander. Might want to come up here" Joker said over the comms.

"Looks like I'm summoned. Take it, please" Mads said with a smile.

"Thank you" Tali replied.

"You're quite welcome. Now let's go save the world." Mads said as gathered his weapons and made sure he was ready for the fight.

Tali and Mads went up the stairs and into the cockpit, where Joker, Pressly, Kaiden, Liara and few other crewmembers.

"How is it going up here?" Mads asked.

"We are about to go through the Mu Relay, commander. And it's not going to be pretty." Joker remarked.

"Take us through" Mads ordered.

"Yes sir" Joker replied.

The Normandy flew towards the relay and as it approached, it began to pick up speed. Suddenly the Normandy was launched forward at faster light speed. It came out on the other side only a few seconds later.

"Looks like the Geth are already here." Joker commented.

"Have they detected us yet?" Mads asked.

"Nope, we got stealth mode on. Unless they see us through a window, we'll be okay." Joker answered as he continued typing in commands for the Normandy.

"I'm picking up some strange readings, commander!" Pressly said from behind the room.

"We need to boots on the ground now, Joker" Mads ordered.

"The nearest landing zone is two clicks away" Pressly replied.

"We need something closer!" Kaiden stated.

"There is nowhere closer, I've looked!" Pressly almost yelled.

"We'll go in the Mako then" Mads suggested.

"Can't do that either, commander. You need 100 meters to complete a run, the nearest is 20!" Pressly said angrily.

"That's way too short. We can't make a drop on only 20 meters!" Kaiden replied.

"We have to try!" Liara proclaimed.

"Find another landing zone, Pressly!" Kaiden yelled to Pressly.

"THERE IS NO OTHER!" Pressly screamed back.

"The descent angle is too steep!" Tali said.

"It's our only option!" Liara replied.

"It's goddamn suicide, that's what it is!" Kaiden screamed.

"I can do it" Joker said with a low voice, almost missed by everyone in the room.

"Are you sure?" Mads asked.

"I can do it" Joker confirmed.

"Then we'll use the Mako, everyone gear up and meet me there. Joker, drop me right in front of that cunt" Mads ordered.

"Aye sir" Joker replied.

The team went down the Mako and waited, they waited for the signal.

The Normandy approached the planet with its stealth function on, making the Geth clueless about their arrival.

* * *

Saren was walked towards the entrance of the large bunker on Ilos. On his mind was the comforting words of Sovereign, and yet a little reminder of Mads' words on Virmire. Sovereign had upgraded him, but it seemed like Mads' words kept on haunting him.

Saren simply brushed it off, he didn't have time to dwell on such issues. Soon Mads and the entire human race would be an irrelevant piece of galactic history, his alliance with Sovereign would make sure of that.

Saren was just about to enter, when he heard the sound of a ship flying towards them at an incredible speed. Saren quickly called the Geth in orbit to ask what the hell was going on, but they didn't have a clue. As the ship came closer and closer, he could see that it was the Normandy.

Of course Mads had come for him, but it was too late. Saren's war was as good as won. Saren simply smiled to himself and walked further into the bunker. He radioed the Geth at the control center, to tell them to close the large doors.

The last sight Saren saw before the doors closed was a Mako falling to the surface and landing directly in front of the doors. Saren had an evil grin on his face when the doors closed on Mads' face.

"You humans never learn" Saren said to himself as he continued on his merry way.

* * *

The Mako stopped right in front of the door, it simply came too late. Mads quickly jumped out of the Mako and ran to the door that separated him from victory over that Turian nutjob.

"GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!" Mads yelled as he banged on the door.

Mads felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked back to see it was Tali's hand. Mads placed his own hand on it and smiled to her.

"We have to get through that door, it's the only way to the conduit" Liara proclaimed.

"I know. There must be some other way to get through" Mads theorized.

"Shouldn't there be a control room somewhere?" Tali asked.

Mads snapped his fingers.

"You're right, Tali! Let's go this way" Mads ordered as he ran up the nearest ramp.

As soon as he came to the top of the ramp, he came under fire from Geth units. Mads leaped into cover and readied his assault shotgun.

 _I ain't got time for this shit_ Mads thought as he took off the safety.

He leaped from cover and began firing. The Geth, that had only a few seconds ago had held the upper hand, suddenly found themselves in a dangerous open position as a human had attempted a deadly offensive. The Geth quickly deployed Armatures to regain the upper hand, but with some help from his loyal crew, Mads was able to overcome the new challenge.

They moved slowly at first, but they began to clear their way through the compound. Geth body parts were everywhere, blown to hell by the AA-12. The team went down a large corridor and came to what must have been the security control center for the Protheans.

Mads opened the door that had blocked them before, but just as they were about to leave, something happened.

A hologram appeared. It began repeating some sort of message. It was broken, and most of the words were cut out, making it hard to understand.

"Sounds like a message, but I don't know the language" Garrus remarked.

"It is most likely in Prothean, it is more than likely over 50.000 years old" Liara replied.

"You guys don't understand it?" Mads asked.

"No, do you?" Garrus asked back.

"It's broken up, but I understand certain words. It seems to be a distress call of some kind." Mads explained.

"That makes sense, after all you been through you must have picked up some understanding of the Prothean language." Liara said.

"What is it saying?" Garrus asked.

"It's too broken up, it's saying something about the conduit. Anyway, let's get back to our duty." Mads said.

They all nodded. They went up the service elevator behind the control room and ran back down to the Mako. They all jumped in it and hit the accelerator.

They drove through the bunker, drinking in the view as they drove along. It seemed that the place had been used to house the remaining Protheans of the war. It was a sad thing to witness, the last refuge of an entire species.

They had been sleeping in pods, to cryo freeze them into the future. It brought back bad memories of his own time in Cryo.

They drove along until they were stopped by a force field blocking them from going any further.

"Might be a trap" Garrus commented.

"Agreed, let's check it out" Mads ordered as he hopped out of the Mako. There was a door on the side, leading to god knows where. Seeing that it was the only option, it would have to be the one they took.

The door lead to an elevator, that took them down a long way. It leaded to a place where a VI interface and a console were held up. Perhaps there was hope after all.

As they approached it, they were greeted by a VI. It spoke to them. It spent a good time explaining what had happened, and what might happen in the future. It told them the true fate of the facility and the Prothean race. The last members of the race had taken it upon themselves to solve the issue and block the reapers from taking the Citadel with one swoop, like it had done with the Protheans. Yet, a new harvest was on its way and Sovereign had looked into how to solve that issue.

With all the information given by Virgil to Mads and his crew, it was time to get the job done. The next few hours would prove to be the some of the most hard fought in the galaxy.

As they were about to leave, Liara spoke up.

"Commander! Are you sure we shouldn't speak with it for a little longer? I might hold important information about the Protheans and their culture!" Liara pleaded.

Mads walked over to Liara and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Liara, I know you spent your entire life learning about the Protheans and now an opportunity had finally revealed itself. But you can't let this get in our way of saving the galaxy, please let it go" Mads requested while looking Liara straight in her eyes.

"Okay" She replied quietly. Mads tapped her on her shoulder.

They ran back up to the Mako and drove the last stretch. It proved to be the hardest driving route ever. Saren had deployed the remaining forces to guard the way, and they were firing at the team. The worst part was that they didn't even have the time to fire back. They had to keep on moving.

Then they finally saw it, the thing that they had been chasing this entire time. The conduit. It looked like a mini relay and it probably served the same function. Saren had already gone through it and his Geth were all around it. It was one last drive down the hill and they would be there.

"Joker, can you hear me?" Mads asked.

"Yes sir!" Joker replied.

"Turn the Normandy around and link up with the alliance fleet, tell them that an attack will happen on the citadel and make sure the Normandy leads that fleet!" Mads ordered.

"What about you guys?" Joker asked.

"We got our own ride there" Mads answered with a smirk.

"Aye sir. See you there" Joker said as he cut the connection.

"You guys ready?" Mads turned around and asked.

"Always" Garrus replied.

"I am" Liara said.

"A Krogan is always ready" Wrex answered.

"Count me in" Kaiden said.

"I am too" Tali said as a final.

"Good, then let's do this!" Mads said as he hit the accelerator and drove the Mako down the hill, through enemy fire and right into the conduit.

It felt a lot more intense then when you do it in a ship. The entire Mako was shaking dramatically. When they finally came through on the other side, the Mako crashed upon two Geth units walking by. The team slowly crawled out of the Mako, only to be horrified by the state of the Citadel. It was burning, with corpses in the street.

"Damn, Saren have been busy." Mads remarked as he readied his AK.

"So much death" Liara commented.

Mads looked around to see where they were on the citadel. They had been thrown out through what most people had thought was a statue of a relay. They were in fact right in front of the council chambers.

"Convenient if you ask me" Mads said as he went over to the elevator.

The others followed suit. The rode up the elevator, when they heard the Citadel's arms close. A single ship had made it through and it was the one they all had hoped wouldn't have, Sovereign. It latched onto the building and began taking over control.

The elevator stopped and with no hope of it starting again, there was only one option.

"Stand back" Mads said. They all did. Mads drew his 44. Magnum and blew open the window of the elevator. Gravity was shifting on the station. No doubt a result of Sovereign's tampering with the station. It did allow them to walk on the side of the building.

They weren't the only ones with the idea, Geth and Saren's home grown army of Krogans had the same idea. Soon they were under fire from these attackers, who pinned them down every chance that they got. They moved slow, too slow for comfort. Every second was a second they handed to Saren, and it was looking pretty grim already.

They were also attacked by dropships, who also delivered fresh Geth for them to fight. With Tali's engineering magic, they managed to override some defense to start shooting at the dropships.

Finally they reached the hatch that would bring them into the heart of the citadel, the council chambers. A few Geth were waiting for them there, but it was a rather small force. With them gone, it was time for the big prize.

Mads ran up the stairs to the place where he was elected Spectre. His team was right behind him, like they always had been. Mads caught a glimpse of Saren working on the Citadel's controls, trying to hand them over to Sovereign.

Mads raised his gun to take a shot, but Saren was quicker. While Saren's shot didn't hit Mads, it forced him into cover.

"Romanov, I wasn't sure I would be seeing you again" Saren greeted.

"Saren, how is the finger?" Mads asked.

"Better, Sovereign upgraded it. I suppose I should thank you for your words on virmire, they had me thinking. I was beginning to doubt Sovereign's cause. Now he has implanted a chip in me and I fully believe in his cause." Saren explained.

"YOU LET HIM DO WHAT?!" Mads yelled back.

"You heard me" Saren said as he crossed his arms.

"You can't be serious! He owns you now, when he says jump, you'll reply how high! How dumb can you be?" Mads asked.

"You don't understand, Romanov. I am the pinnacle of evolution, a relationship between organic and machine. The strenghs of both and the weakness of neither" Saren proclaimed.

"Think Saren, for once in your life! I can still stop this, but I need your help. Simply stand aside!" Mads yelled back.

"We can't stop it! The visions are clear, they will find a way. The reapers are too powerful" Saren replied.

"Saren, please... Think! Have you no common sense left? Is your moral compass completely gone?" Mads asked.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe there is still a chance for…. UNH!" Saren was interrupted by Sovereign giving him mental pain through the implant.

Mads sensed his opportunity, he wasn't sure if Saren would come around. He decided to strike now. He got up from his cover and aimed his 44. Magnum dead center at Saren. The last look of Saren was something to behold, it wasn't anger or sadness, but forgiveness. It didn't matter anyhow, Mads fired.

The sound of the 44. Round rang throughout the chambers. The bullet went clean through Saren, taking enough gray matter with it to fill a small bowl. Saren collapsed down to the small area beneath the chambers.

That was the end of the Saren they knew him.

Mads ran up to the control panel where Saren had been working. Mads uploaded the data file and instantly got control of all the systems.

"I got full access" Mads said as he typed away at his omni-tool.

"Quick, open the arms so that the fleet can take down Sovereign!" Garrus suggested.

"Try and open a commutation channel with the fleet" Tali said.

An Asari came through on the channel, detailing the status of the Destiny Ascension. Apparently the council was on board.

"Normandy to the citadel! Are you there, commander?" Joker asked.

"I'm here" Mads said.

"I got that distress call, commander. I'm sitting with the entire Arcturus fleet. We can save the Destiny Ascension if you unlock the relays around the citadel." Joker said.

"Are you willing to sacrifice human lives to save the council?" Garrus asked.

"We need the council, they represent every organic in the galaxy!" Liara said.

"We need the human fleet at full strength to take down Sovereign!" Garrus continued.

"What are you orders, commander?" Joker asked.

Mads looked at his team. He wasn't sure what to pick. He never really did like the council, but was that reason enough to doom them? No, he needed them for later. At least they would owe him their lives after this.

"Save the council, Joker" Mads ordered.

"Aye aye" Joker replied.

* * *

As then the human fleet entered the system, with the Normandy leading them. They did as ordered, saving the council. They flew towards the giant ship that was under attack.

"Alliance ships move in, save the Destiny Ascension" Hackett ordered.

The ships began their duty, clearing the Destiny Ascension from the hostiles that were attacking it. It didn't come cheap, many ships were lost. But the council was saved in the end.

Now the focused on the bigger target, Sovereign. With the citadel arms open, they moved forward and began attacking the giant monster that was holding the galaxy hostage.

* * *

"Make sure the bastard is dead" Mads ordered.

Tali and Garrus nodded and slipped down to the lower level where his body had landed. He already looked pretty dead, but Garrus shot the corpse one time to be sure, and then spitted Saren in the face.

"He's dead" Tali said.

All seemed calm for a moment or two, until the unexpected happened. Sovereign intervened personally. Sparking life into the corpse that was once Saren and rocking the entire chambers until Mads fell down. The thing alive now was no longer Saren, but rather Sovereign.

Now a new fight began, the longest Mads had ever endured. It was like the damn machine wouldn't die! It jumped faster than a Geth hopper and was well armored.

It took long and a lot of sweat to finally kill the bastard and with this enemy dead, the larger Sovereign was also defeated. The fleet had finally gained the upper hand in their battle. Striking down hard on Sovereign.

And so, Sovereign was no more.

Then the debris from Sovereign began raining down on the council chambers. A piece was coming directly for Mads.

"Oh shit" Mads muttered to himself as the giant piece of rock fell through the ceiling.


	27. Chapter 26: 25 minutes to go

**A/N: What's this? A chapter only 6 days after the last one?**

 **I know, and I'm sorry the other chapters have been slow moving.**

 **So, this chapter wraps up Mass Effect 1 and starts building the bridge to Mass effect 2. It only took me 6 months, but I am finally done with ME1.**

 **I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas when that times comes around. I probably won't update this story until after Christmas.**

 **KanusRussell**

* * *

 **9/5 2183**

 **A couple of hours after the fall of Sovereign.**

Captain Anderson came rushing through the burning building. He was followed closely by two alliance soldiers. They were looking for a particular crew, who had just saved the galaxy.

The council chambers were in ruins, debris from Sovereign had left a path of destruction in its wake. The scene would have made most people hopeless about the odds for the crew that went looking for Saren, but Anderson kept on to a beacon of hope. Mads had yet to die from so many other incidents, he just had to survive this one as well!

"Let's split up, see what we can find" Anderson ordered.

"Yes sir!" They both replied and began searching the massive room.

Anderson was unsure where to begin. They could be anywhere; they could be crushed underneath some debris. But Anderson did not want to think those thoughts; he was there to find the heroes of the hour.

One of the alliance soldiers began searching the center of the chambers, the place where the council would normally hold their meetings. A ring of debris had formed in the center, and so he began trying to pry some metal off to make a path into the heart of the chamber.

The metal seemed to be determined to stay where it was. He began to grow angry and put all his force into moving it aside. Finally it began to give way for his force. When the metal was finally removed completely, he had a clean path in. He turned on his flashlight on his omni-tool and began shining it to see where he was going.

He was happily surprised to see the confused face of a familiar Turian staring back at him.

"Anderson! I found them, they are in here!" He yelled.

Anderson ran as quickly as he could to the soldier's location. He entered through the small hole the soldier had created and scanned the area. He was glad Mads' band of mischiefs hold up safe and sound. All five of them seemed to be in good condition.

"Relax, you are safe now." Anderson proclaimed. They all looked at him.

"Where is the commander?" Anderson asked. They all remained silent. Anderson could hear the Quarian in the crew begin to sob quietly, as to try and not alarm anyone.

A sudden realization hit the captain, one he had hoped to avoid. Anderson refused to believe it, the man he had come to know and love, was dead? No, it was not possible!

* * *

 **15 minutes before.**

Mads was awoken by his own coughing. Most likely from all the smoke in the room, if he had been out for a while longer, he would have possible been killed by the smoke, since breathing wasn't easy.

Mads then began laughing, it started as a small chuckle, but it soon turning into full-blown laughter. He laughed because he had survived and had taken down the Turian bastard and his reaper friend, that he had been hunting for a while now. He must have laughed for at least a couple of minutes. He was still looking up at the celling and just enjoying the moment of victory.

Mads then tried to move, only to feel a sharp pain in his right thigh. He wondered what it could be, and so he looked up from his position and down to his legs. The sight didn't calm he what so ever.

A small metal spike had impaled his right thigh. Mads let out a loud sigh.

"Fuck me" He muttered to himself.

Some debris from Sovereign must have gotten him while he was out. Mads' hand moved to the small spike and tried to pull it out. It hurt like hell; it had been long since he had such a serious injury.

Mads opened his omni-tool and was horrified to see he didn't have any medi-gel left. He sighed again; maybe this wasn't such a victory after all.

Mads began looking around the area he was in. Smoke was everywhere and debris had fallen all around him. Luckily the spike hadn't been stuck to the floor, so Mads began sliding across the ground. He finally found what he was looking for. It was a piece of cloth, most likely from a dress that had been ripped during the initial attack.

Mads took it and ripped it into two pieces. He knew this was going to hurt, so he took out his 44. Magnum and opened the chamber. He removed a single bullet and put the revolver back into his holster. Mads took his knife and removed the lead and gunpowder that was inside the bullet.

Mads placed the bullet casting between his teeth and began tying the first piece around his leg, a little over the wound. His hopes would be that it would stop the bleeding when he pulled out the spike. It hurt when he tighten the piece of cloth, he would have let out a scream if it wasn't for the bullet in his mouth.

When the piece of cloth was tight enough, he took a moment to breathe. He inspected the bullet, only to find a huge bite mark in it. The next step would be even worse.

 _Why did I have to run out of medi-gel now!?_ He thought to himself as he placed the bullet between his teeth once again.

He began pulling the spike out of his thigh. He started slowly and it was hurting bad. The bullet between his teeth was on the verge of snapping in half.

So Mads made a rush decision, he pulled it out quickly. It felt like he was stabbed 20 times over and the so spike didn't seem that small after all. After a few seconds of pulling hard, it came out and with it did the blood as well. It began oozing out at a rapid rate, yet the cloth did seem to have some effect on the rate it was pumping out.

Mads took his second piece of cloth and tied it around the wound and he made sure it was tight. Mads spit out the bullet he had been biting, it was completely ruined. He took a few minutes to breathe, and just think about what to do next.

Mads began observing his surroundings more thoroughly, he spotted what most been a small passage out of this place.

Mads slowly stood up, he made sure to place all his weight on his left leg. Mads slowly limped to the place he had spotted. He crawled down to get through and he was treated with a larger view of the council chambers. He looked around for his teammates, hoping they too had survived.

A smile grew upon his face when he saw them sitting down in the middle of the chamber, and speaking with them was Captain Anderson. Mads began limping down the stairs towards them.

They didn't notice him right away. But all of a sudden Mads accidentally kicked some debris on the floor that made a loud enough noise to get their attention.

They all turned their eyes and looked upon the man that had saved the galaxy. For a moment or two things remained quiet. They believed just a second ago that he was dead, now he was standing right in front of them.

Tali made the first move. She sprinted to the commander and hugged him tightly. Still sobbing a bit.

"We thought you were dead!" She cried into his arms.

"It will take more than that to kill me" Mads laughed.

They all gathered around him. Tali continued holding him tight for a moment or two. Anderson approached from the side, and so Tali finally let him go.

"You're a goddamn hero, commander!" Anderson said as he gave Mads a hug too.

"Thanks Anderson, I try" Mads replied.

"Oh goddess, what did you do to your leg!" Liara asked in fear as she spotted his bloody leg with makeshift bandages on it.

"Some debris must have hit me while I was out, had to pull a spike out of my leg. I wouldn't mind a medic right about now." Mads explained.

"Soldier! Get the hero a medic now!" Anderson ordered.

"Yes sir!" The soldier replied and ran out looking for a medic.

The team then talked about what just happened. Mads choice to sit down, since his leg wasn't doing him any favors at the moment.

A medic came rushing through the debris after a few more minutes. He ran straight up to Mads and looked at his leg. The medic took off the makeshift bandage and took a look at the wound. Mads winched in pain as the medic inspected the wound.

It took a few moments for the medic to asset the situation but he finally spoke up.

"Looks like you lucked out, commander. No sign of an infection, you stopped the bleeding correctly and it didn't touch your bone. It should be as simple as applying some medi-gel. Though I would discourage you from any combat for the next couple of week." The medic explained and demanded.

"I think I earned a week's rest. Wouldn't you say, captain?" Mads asked.

"Indeed. But the council has already set up a meeting in 4 days, they want you there. The alliance also wishes to speak with you." Anderson replied.

"Well damn, looks like I will be a busy man." Mads commented.

"Please take it easy, commander. Allow the wound to heal." The medic remarked as he applied some medi-gel to the wound. It worked quickly and began healing at a rapid rate.

"God save medi-gel" Mads muttered as his wound was healing.

"I'll escort you to your hotel, commander." Anderson said as he helped Mads get up.

"Thanks, I'll see you guys later" Mads said as he limped away with Anderson.

They all waved him goodbye.

* * *

 **11/5 2183**

Mads was lying on his bed in the hotel room by the presidium. He had a nice view of the stream going by the council chambers. He was watching the news, which had been filled with the new breaking story of the attack on the citadel.

Doctors' orders were to stay in bed as long as possible, but staying idle was proving to be very boring. Mads heard a knock on the door.

"Come in" He said.

The door opened to reveal Wrex. Mads hadn't expected Wrex to come knocking.

"Hey Wrex, how are you?" Mads asked.

"I'm fine. What a sorry state you are in though" Wrex answered.

"Yeah, it's killing me slowly. How can I help you?" Mads asked further.

"I just wanted to say that, I'm leaving the citadel in the morning" Wrex replied.

"Really? Why?" Mads asked confused.

"Saren is gone, along with Sovereign. I think I may have a clear path now. After Virmire, I started thinking about what you said, and I want to give the Krogan another shot." Wrex explained as he looked out the window.

"That is a noble goal. Just let me pay you" Mads made a move for his omni-tool, but Wrex stopped him.

"No need, Romanov. I learned a lot traveling with you. You are a hell of a human, never thought I would see such a strong fighter from the humans. I got enough credits to go from here." Wrex said.

"Well, good luck out there. I hope we will see each other again." Mads said as he offered a handshake.

Wrex accepted and shook Mads' hand.

"Rest well, Mads. You will be needed soon again." Wrex said as he left the room.

Just as Wrex left the room, Captain Anderson and Admiral Hackett entered. Mads stood up, realizing pretty quickly that his leg still hurt a bit. Mads saluted his senior officers.

"At ease, commander." Hackett said.

Mads relaxed in his body and sat down on the bed.

"We wanted to congratulate you on your victory. You saved not just humanity, but perhaps the entire galaxy." Hackett explained.

"Saren and Sovereign was just plan A. The rest of the reapers will find another way to get here soon enough." Mads said.

"We know, and you will stop them" Anderson replied.

"There is another matter." Hackett said.

Mads looked at the admiral in confusion.

"It is hereby the decision of the alliance to promote you to the rank of Captain. Congratulations Romanov." Hackett stated.

"Thank you, I'm quite honored" Mads said as he saluted again.

"You should rest now. You'll need a clear head for the council meeting in 2 days. See you later, captain" Anderson suggested.

Mads smiled at the use of his new title.

"Thanks, I'll be seeing you" Mads replied.

Hackett and Anderson left the room. Mads went back on the bed with a smile on his face. Captain Romanov, it even sounded right.

* * *

 **13/5 2183**

Mads' leg still wasn't fully healed, but it was close. Medi-gel really was a life saver. Mads limped to the meeting place where the meeting would take place. The council chambers were in ruin after the battle, so it couldn't be held there. They had chosen a nice place on the presidium, not far from where they had landed with the Mako during the attack. Anderson and Udina were already there.

Mads limped in front of them and saw the three councilors he had saved. He couldn't really explain their facial expressions, it was a cross between gratefulness that they were saved, and a face that was displeased that it was Mads who saved them.

Either way, they seemed quite grateful for the alliance. They talked their usual diplomatic talk, it wasn't even worth listing to, at least not until they said something about a council seat.

"Humanity was proven that is willing to stand up to matters of galactic safety. It is hereby the decision of the council to grant humanity a seat on the council." Councilor Tevos stated.

"We're humbled by your choice, and on behalf of the alliance I accept" Udina replied, already trying the crown on for size.

"Hold your horses, Udina" Mads said.

"We will need a list of possible candidates to fill the position. But we are all eager to hear your input, Captain." Tevos said.

Mads forgot for a moment that she was in fact referring to him, he still wasn't used to being called captain.

"My input? But why?" Mads asked confused.

"You saved not just this council, but the entire citadel. Your opinion will hold a great deal of weight." Tevos explained.

Mads took a moment to think. Udina or Anderson? The answer seemed obvious.

"I would pick Captain Anderson for the role of human councilor. He is both honorable and fair." Mads said.

"Anderson? You must be joking! He prefers to let his fist do the talking!" Udina said.

"Only with you, Udina. Only with you" Anderson replied.

"Are you sure?" Tevos asked.

"Anderson is a soldier who knows what it is like out there. He will be perfect for the job." Mads answered.

"Now that this matter is dealt with, we should talk about your next mission, captain. We want you to root out the remaining Geth holdouts in the Terminus systems. The alliance agrees. Your mission begins in a week." Tevos said.

"Shouldn't we focus on the real threat here? The reapers aren't just going to lie down and die, they will find another way!" Mads asked.

"We still can be sure if they even exist. We will have to analyze the debris from Sovereign. Until then, you have your mission." Tevos explained.

"I'm out of here" Mads remarked as a final note and began limping away.

Udina and Anderson continued the talk with the councilors while Mads disappeared in the background.

Mads was headed back for his hotel room, and he was rather frustrated by their claims that the reapers didn't exist.

He walked for a little while, down by the river on the presidium. He was rather focused on his objective of getting back to his hotel, but suddenly he heard something.

"Mads? Hey wait up." A voice yelled.

Mads turned around to face whoever yelling at him and was pleasantly surprised.

"Harold?" Mads asked.

"That's right" He said as he drew closer. They shared a hug.

"What brings you to the citadel?" Mads asked.

"I came to get some documents for the program. But I soon found myself in the middle of the attack." Harold said.

"Did you get hurt?" Mads said as he inspected Harold quickly for injuries.

"No, I got out all right. You seem worst for wear though." Harold said, referring to Mads' limping leg.

"Yeah, Bastard reaper got me in the end." Mads replied.

"Where is Joe?" Mads asked looking around for the kid he had come to accept as his nephew.

"Not here, he is back on earth. All safe and sound." Harold assured.

"Wanna continue this conversation over a drink?" Mads proposed.

"Are there even any ones open?" Harold asked.

"I think the bar at the hotel I'm staying at is open." Mads commented.

"Sure, why not?" Harold said.

"It is right this way" Mads said as he began limping forwards.

They talked all the way to the hotel, which was just a short walk. They entered the lobby and went straight for the bar. Planting themselves at a table in the corner. It didn't take more than a few seconds before a waiter was there to take their orders. It was an Asari, most likely a maiden.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, can I bring you anything?" She asked with a smile.

"Two beers please, gorgeous." Mads said also with a smile. The Asari chuckled.

"Right away, sir" She said as she disappeared from their view.

"So... the Andromeda thing is still a go?" Mads asked.

"It still happening. It pretty funny though. A few weeks ago, I was called to a meeting with the leaders, you know, Jien Garson, Alec Ryder and a few others. Apparently we were running out of funding. Jien was taking loans just to keep the Initiative afloat. Then two days ago, we began receiving enormous amounts of funding from an anonymous client. Things are now speeding up. Many people are also beginning to join up, especially after the whole Reaper thing." Harold explained.

The Asari returned with their beers and placed them on the table. Mads smiled.

"How much will it be?" Mads asked as he fired up his omni-tool and was ready to send the money.

"It's on the house, captain. It's the least we can do for you saving us." She replied.

Mads chuckled a bit.

"Thanks, sweetie. Here, have a tip. By the way, am I allowed to smoke in here?" Mads said as he transferred some credits to her account.

"You are the hero of the citadel, I think management can overlook you smoking, captain. Thank you for the tip." She said. She then disappeared again.

"Sounds like you ran into some trouble then." Mads said as he took a sip of the beer.

"I know how you feel about Initiative, Mads. But are you sure you won't come?" Harold asked.

"I'm dead certain, and I think it is a mistake that you two are running off to an unknown galaxy." Mads replied. Harold remained quiet for a little while.

"Look, I can see why you are leaving. The reapers are coming and will most likely destroy a lot in their path. But I must remain and fight, for both my home and the lives of this galaxy." Mads said with a calmer voice. He lit up a cigarette and took a drag of it.

"What have they ever given you?" Harold asked.

"Absolutely nothing, but I never asked for anything either. Have you not given any thought to the throne? What if I die, then no one will be around to claim it." Mads asked back.

"There are other people out there of the family tree." Harold said.

"Their blood is so thin it can barely be traced back. Hell, we are the only ones who still use 'Romanov' as our last name!" Mads replied.

"Look... leave if you must. But know it will not be with my approval. It's just that, you are all I have left to think of as family." Mads said.

"I know, but Joe and I both agree on this. I know you will protect this galaxy with all your heart and soul." Harold said with a smile.

"Thank you. When will you be leaving?" Mads asked as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Within the next two years, if all goes to plan." Harold answered as he took a sip of his beer.

"So, what is your orders from here on out?" Harold asked.

"Wipe out the remaining Geth strongholds. But I think it is a waste of time. I should be out there looking for a way to stop the Reapers" Mads preached.

"What you need, is rest. Your leg isn't fully healed yet, no need to make it worse." Harold replied.

"Yeah, I know. But I suppose I have a moral obligation to everyone, even the council." Mads said.

"I heard you saved them, I don't see why you did it. They never did you any favors." Harold said.

"Call it naïve hope, that they might see reason. But I'm already starting to doubt that." Mads replied.

They both finished their beers and continued talking for a little over two hours.

"Well, I have to get going now. Will I see you later?" Harold asked.

"I hope so. I'm leaving the station in a week. But I think I will take some real time off soon." Mads replied.

"Well, you deserved it. I have to fetch some more documents for the Initiative." Harold said.

Mads rose from his seat and gave Harold a goodbye hug.

"Stay safe out there." Mads said.

"You too" Harold replied as he left the hotel lobby.

Mads watched as he left. Thinking about the long talk they had. Perhaps he had misjudged the Initiative. No need for those thoughts now, they had both made their choices.

* * *

 **10/6 2183**

The Normandy entered Amada system of Omega Nebula. Several ships had disappeared in the system for a while now. There were several theories on what had caused it, one of them was that Geth was behind it. The last month had been nonstop Geth hunting, search and destroy missions. They had taken down a few targets, but it had mostly been against pirates and slavers.

In the cockpit was Joker, Pressley and a few other crewmen, all with their own theories on what they would encounter.

Systems were normal, stealth drive was on and operations were looking optimal. No cause for alarm anywhere. That was until something happened.

A cruiser appeared, only it wasn't of any known species design.

"Wait, something is wrong." The female co-pilot said as she typed away at her screen.

"What is it?" Joker asked.

"It's changing course, it's now on intercept course." She noted.

"But how? We have stealth drive on!" Joker asked.

Then out of nowhere, the ship fired. It must have been some sort of lazer weapon. Joker was fast and tried some maneuvers to escape the fire. Even for all his fine piloting skills, this enemy seemed hell-bent on ending the Normandy.

Then the first attack hit the Normandy. Cutting in its armor like it was butter. It killed both Pressley and the female co-pilot. Leaving Joker alone in the cockpit.

* * *

The ship rocked as flames raged through the lower portions of the ship. Mads had been sitting at his desk, writing reports about the last few weeks activity. Mads fell from his chair as the first lazer beam hit the Normandy. Luckily he was already in his armor, in case of a need for fast deployment. Mads only had the time to take his 44. Magnum. His other weapons were locked tight in his weapons locker and he didn't have the time to open it.

Mads hit the red bottom for evacuating ship. Red lights appeared and a siren began playing all across the ship. Mads grabbed his helmet as a second beam hit the Normandy. There was a high chance some of the Normandy was exposed to space now.

As Mads ran out of his quarters, he saw the fire at the sleeping pods. Mads quickly grabbed a firehose as began putting out the fire.

Then Liara came running.

"Romanov! Joker refuses to abandoned ship!" Liara said desperately.

"God damn it!" Mads yelled.

"Alright, you get the rest of the crew on the escape pods. I'll handle Joker." Mads ordered. Liara just looked in the ground.

"Hey Liara. Look at me." Mads took her by her shoulder and placed a hand under her chin to raise her eyes to his.

"You can do this." Mads assured her.

"Yes sir!" She said as she ran off to help the remaining crew members.

Mads began to make his way up the stairs to the CIC. His theory was right; there was a giant hole that was sucking all of the air out. He was right to bring his helmet. Mads began to slowly make his way across the CIC to the cockpit. The lack of gravity only allowed for slow movement.

Mads finally reached the cockpit and found Joker trying endlessly to save the Normandy. He had put on an oxygen mask to compensate for the lack of air inside the cockpit.

"Joker! We have to get out of here!" Mads yelled as he came up by his side.

"I can still save her!" Joker yelled back stubbornly.

"The Normandy is far gone. you and I have to get out of here!" Mads said.

Joker took a few moments to think. Mads would have preferred he did not.

"Alright, help me up." Joker said.

Mads did just that, he carried Joker all the way to the escape pod right by the cockpit. Just as Mads placed Joker in the escape pod and was getting ready to enter as well, disaster struck. The enemy came around for round 2. They cut the Normandy in half and it caused Mads to fall back a bit.

Mads was now right by the control to the escape pod. He made a quick decision.

"CAPTAIN!" Joker yelled.

Mads typed in the commands for the launch of the escape pod. Joker was banging on the door, demanding that Mads came back.

Mads was now isolated and alone. Another attack on the Normandy sent him flying into space. He could see the Normandy was in flames and it was quickly submitting to the will of the enemy's cannons.

The ship he had come to know and love was being raped right in front of him. With one final blow, the enemy quickly left the system and the Normandy began to fall towards orbit of the nearest planet.

Mads noticed just how quiet space was. He had never really thought about it before. Mads opened his omni-tool to check his oxygen level.

The suit wasn't built to be exposed to space for a long period. The oxygen in it was very limited. He looked down on the estimated time left.

25 minutes.

That was his sentence. 25 minutes in space before he would suffocate. The last sound he would ever hear would be his own body grasping for air.

Mads hovered around. He couldn't see the Normandy anymore, the flames had been put out by the lack of oxygen in space and the Normandy was now buried on an unknown planet. Mads would most likely suffer a familiar fate.

In some twisted way, it was all beautiful. When he was a kid, he had expected to die on his front porch in a rockin' chair. As he joined the army, he expected to die on the battlefield. Never did he expect to die in space.

Mads began feeling himself grasping for air. His 25 minutes of living was up. He could feel himself fading away. His body trying desperately to stay alive. His eyes began to slowly close and he wondered as a last thought.

 _What could I have done differently?_

Then it all went black, a color he was most familiar with. But then something else happened. A light, a small light, like at the end of a tunnel. It was approaching fast and suddenly it took up his entire vison.


	28. Chapter 27: In the Lord's house

**Hey pals.**

 **A happy new year to all of you, I hope 2018 will treat you well. 2017 has been a wonderful year for me since I got involved in this lovely community that is fanfiction. Cheers!**

 **So, a lot of things have happened since last update. I have uploaded two new stories. One is a spin off to this one, focusing on Harold and Joseph Romanov and their adventures in Andromeda. The other is the first story I have written that isn't set in the Mass effect universe, but rather in an alternative timeline where Germany won the First World War, it's based upon the mod named Kaiserreich for Hearts of Iron. If any of you are interested, please do check them out. They are both very short at the moment, but I will update them as time goes by.**

 **I had originally meant for this update to have been out just after Christmas, but a few things happened. I fell ill and I decided to play Dayz again. But at last, here it is. The chapter might not make much sense right now, but it will later on.**

 **Kind regards**

 **KanisRussell**

* * *

 **?/?/?**

Mads' eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light at the end. He didn't know what to expect, but surely not this. He found himself inside what appeared to be a ballroom inside a palace. He was still in his armor that he had just died in.

Unsure what was going on, Mads looked around. There were two set of double doors in the room, one right behind him and one at the far side of the room. In the middle of the room was a piano, standing all by itself. It was dark outside, but the chandeliers lit up the room pretty nicely. Mads tried opening one of the set of doors, only to find it locked tight. Mads went to the other side of the room to try the other one, yet it too was locked.

 _The hell?_ Mads thought to himself as he tried opening the door, but the lock wouldn't give way.

Mads then went over to the windows, but they too were locked. Mads tried kicked the doors open, but it was like they were made of concreate.

Mads was confused, perhaps it was a dream? A dream of a dying man maybe. It had to be, this didn't make any sense. He tried checking his onmi-tool, but it was dead.

Faced with no other options, Mads choice to sit down by the wall. Once he took another look at the room, it felt awfully familiar, like he had been there before.

He looked around the room. On the walls were beautiful paintings, most likely from the 1800 hundreds and before. It bugged him that it seemed familiar, yet he couldn't place his finger on it.

Mads then realized just where he was, but it didn't make any sense! He was in the winter palace in St. Petersburg. But how did he get here? He was millions of miles away from where he just died! Could it be his version of heaven? But it seemed absurd!

The last time he was there, he was only 12 years old. It was a small trip with his parents and they were allowed inside some of the rooms, because the family had once been the owners. But why here? There had to be some sort of explanation.

Then Mads' eyes lingered on the piano. It seemed like it was begging for him to play it. Mads thought about it for a few moments, there wasn't really anything else to do.

Mads stood up and walked towards the piano. He sat down by it and looked at it for a while. He hadn't played a piano since he was 15, and that was only because his granddad forced him to learn it, something about it being the duty of every prince to know his way around a piano.

Mads hated it, he always did. He wanted to play with his friends instead, but he always had to do something or learn something. He hated his granddad. His granddad never liked him either, always going on about how Mads was too spoiled or didn't know the true value he had. Hell, there were even a couple of times Mads was hit by the old man. When his grandad died in 2014, Mads didn't even bother asking for leave from the army to go to his funeral.

But that didn't matter anymore. Mads was now faced with the dilemma of what to play. If he even remembered how to play anymore. His fingers were raised above the keys, yet he didn't know what to do.

That was until the lights in the room suddenly dimmed to the point where they were shut off. Now the only thing lighting up the room, was the moon. Its beautiful rays bathed the piano in its light and gave him the inspiration he needed.

Mads' fingers began moving over the keys. He slowly began playing one of the first tunes he learned by himself. It was _Moonlight Sonata_ by Beethoven. He played slowly and softly, creating a beautiful atmosphere around himself. He soon closed his eyes and let his fingers do the work. He could feel tears forming in his eyes and he let go of his outer self. He found comfort in the memories he had. He remembered the cold winter nights in his apartment in St. Petersburg. He remembered his family and all the good times he had with them.

It felt like he played for hours, perhaps he did. Mads lost track of time. The only source of light was the moon and the only entertainment was the piano. His fingers never grew tried and the music never grew old. He felt like he could sit there forever.

Then, all of a sudden, the light returned. Mads slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer in his armor that he died in. Now he was sporting a ceremonial uniform usually worn by the tsars. It was bright and colorful. Mads didn't even question it anymore, everything was just so out of this world.

Mads stopped playing and let out a sigh. Then he heard clapping, a lot of it in fact. Mads was greatly confused and quickly scanned the room to see where it was coming from.

The room was no longer empty, but full of people. Mads arose from the seat at the piano and looked confused around at everybody.

Then it dawned on him. Those weren't random people, they were all someone he had known and his ancestors were there too. Peter the great, Alexander the third and Nicholas the second. They were there, and all were smiling at him.

Then he saw them, he saw his parents, his sister and brother. They were smiling too. Tears were forming rabidly in his eyes. Mads was in shock, never did he expect to see them again. Mads was thrilled, even if it was just a dream of a dying man.

" _Mom? Dad?"_ Mads asked as he looked at them. He wiped away the tears in his eyes.

" _It's good to see you again, son."_ Mads' father greeted while smiling.

Mads ran over to them and hugged them tightly. He quietly sobbed.

" _We are proud of you. You did everything right."_ Mads' mother told him.

" _So, is this heaven?"_ Mads asked as he wiped away the final tear in his eye.

" _Indeed. We are all here; everyone you have ever known and cared about is here. Even your_ _ancestors are here."_ Mads' father replied.

" _I can see that. Man, never thought I would meet them"_ Mads remarked.

" _Go on and speak with them."_ Mads' father suggested.

" _Alright."_ Mads replied as he slowly went over to the long dead tsars of Russia.

They were all there, at least the Romanov dynasty was. Mads made a salute as he stopped in front of them, they replied with a salute as well.

" _It's an honor to meet you all."_ Mads greeted.

" _And it is an honor to meet you as well, Mads."_ Peter the great replied.

" _I'm humbled by you saying so."_ Mads replied while bowing down.

" _You have done well, I would have loved to have you in the imperial army, back when they were a thing"_ Alexander the third said as he looked over at Nicholas the second. Nicholas simply looked in the ground.

" _Know that you have our full support in everything you did. You are a great man."_ Peter the great said.

" _Thank you, it means the world to me"_ Mads replied.

" _No worries. Now, your presence is required elsewhere."_ Peter the great said.

" _Where?"_ Mads asked.

" _There"_ Peter the great answered as he pointed to the doors that had been locked only moments before. Now they were open and light was shining in.

Mads nodded to the former Tsars and began walking over to the door. Only to be stopped by someone familiar.

" _Victor?"_ Mads asked as he saw the familiar grin on his friend's face.

" _Mads you big dumb bastard! How have you been?"_

" _Not so well, considering everything that had happened. But I'm better now that I can see your ugly face again."_ Mads replied.

Victor laughed. It was a sound Mads hadn't heard in ages.

" _Look, I'm sorry I didn't do more. I should have checked the building better than I did."_ Victor remarked as he looked defeated at the ground.

" _Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. I never blamed you and I never will."_ Mads explained as he put his hand on Victor's shoulder. Victor looked back up at him and smiled.

" _Thanks, though I suppose you should get going, don't want to keep the man waiting now, do we?"_ Victor said.

" _Who... God?"_ Mads asked.

" _I think so; he has requested your presence, just step through that set of doors."_ Victor answered as he pointed to the same set of doors.

" _Any advice?"_ Mads asked further.

" _I'm afraid not, I never spoken with him, in fact, very few people have. Not even the old Tsars have. So it's really unusual for him to request someone."_ Victor replied.

" _Well... That really helps my nerves."_ Mads said sarcastically.

Victor chuckled. " _Don't worry; I'm sure you'll be just fine."_ Victor replied.

Before Mads could enter the set of doors, he was greeted by one last friend. The recently deceased Ashley Williams.

" _Ashley, I'm sorry I couldn't do more."_ Mads said.

" _Please, you did quite enough. I knew the risks going in and out. Pretty nice bunch people you have up here."_ Ashley replied.

" _Thank you, never did I imagine I would meet them again, even in heaven. Thank you for your service."_ Mads said.

" _Thank you for being a good commander. Now, don't keep the man waiting."_ Ashley said.

Mads smiled and went through the doors. Light engulfed him and blinded him for a few seconds. No longer was he inside the familiar room of the winter palace, now he was standing inside what appeared to be a Roman temple. The kind of place with huge pillars to support the roof.

The place seemed holy in every way possible. A peaceful vibe was present, like you didn't have to worry about anything. To Mads, heaven was everything he had expected, which was quite unexpected. He didn't think that Heaven would be everything he thought it would be.

And there was the man, God himself. And like the room, he too was exactly as Mads expected. An old man with a long white beard in white ropes. Something seemed fishy.

"So, I take it that you are God?" Mads asked as he approached the man.

"You could say that." God simply answered.

Mads looked at the man for a few minutes, trying to read him.

"You are not who I think you are, are you?" Mads asked again.

God simply laughed, amused at Mads' skepticism.

"Glad to see you still are smart enough. You are quite right. I'm not God as you would comprehend him, neither do I like being called God." The man answered.

"Then, what are you?" Mads asked.

"Creator of the galaxy and ruler of the void." He replied as if it was nothing.

Mads looked at him in confusion. "The void?" He asked.

"Heaven is tailored to each soul's ideals about heaven, in reality; it is just a big void. I would look like this" God said and snapped his fingers. Mads saw everything disappear and replaced by a void. Mads was floating, like he was in space, yet he could do everything.

God snapped his fingers again and everything returned to what it was before.

"So, what are you exactly, if not God?" Mads asked trying to understand the situation at hand.

God(Or whatever he was) chuckled at the curiosity.

"The name God is fitting. But I'm not just your God. I'm the Asari goddess, the Turian sprits and the Qurian's ancestors." God replied.

"Then you have your plate full." Mads commented.

"Indeed" God said.

"So, why did you want to see me?" Mads asked.

"The situation in the galaxy is not ideal. You and I both know that." God answered.

"You're thinking about the reapers, right?" Mads asked.

"Yes and I need you to take care of them" God answered.

"Why don't you just snap your fingers and kill them all off?" Mads asked.

"Unlike what most people think, I don't intervene in the 'Real' world." God said.

Mads looked at him in confusion.

"I created the galaxy, but I consider the galaxy a 'testing' ground for souls. They need to prove their worth, without my involvement in the matter. I have only ever created one species." God explained.

"Let me guess, the first species that ever came about?" Mads guessed.

"One would think that, but no. I let organic life evolve by itself. Millions of years ago, one of the first species in the galaxy created their first true AI. The AI was tasked with solving problems and soon it saw a pattern. Organic and synthetic were doomed to fight each other... For a long time, I decided to let the souls of the galaxy solve it themselves, however when the Protheans were facing destruction, I realized that I had to intervene to stop the bloodbath." God explained. He took a quick pause.

"It was too late for the Protheans, so I created another species. The Asari." God said.

The words came as a shock to Mads, but he soon realized that it made sense. The Asari were the first species to find the citadel and to discover all that was left behind by the Protheans. Their long life spans and the fact that they were all natural biotics made them a dangerous foe.

"I created them, took inspiration from all the species in the galaxy and added some new perks. I made sure the Protheans gave them the proper guidance needed to ensure they would be ready." God continued, he took another short break.

"Somewhere along the way, I must have misjudged my own creation. They grew to become diplomatic, a trait not suited for reaper combat. I realized that I couldn't help them, so I went on to my second intervention. I created not a new species, but a single person, you." God said.

The words echoed in his mind. Him? It seemed absurd.

"Me?" Mads asked with great confusion.

"Yes, you. Humanity peaked my interest towards the end of the 20th century, you were moving faster than any other species had ever done. I realized I didn't need an entire species, just a single person who could lead them all. The reapers were supposed to invade by 2021, but due to the actions of the last Protheans, that was stalled. I had already created you, and I'm not one to squander my investments. So I sent you packing into the future, without your consent I'm afraid." God explained.

"You... you did this?" Mads asked with a very angry tone. He felt an urge to strangle god right then and there. But Mads knew he most likely couldn't kill a God.

"I did, it was a bit unorthodox. But it made more sense." God said.

"Unorthodox? Is that what you call it? Stripping away everything I held dear?" Mads asked with even more anger building up inside him.

"It was necessary. I gave the Russians cryo freeze technology and made sure you were the only one permitted into the program. I made sure you had the right connections, the right military training, the right mind set. Everything is handcrafted." God tried to justify.

"Why would I even want to go back?" Mads asked.

"There is a millions reasons why you should go back. You are the only one that can end this madness. Millions of people are longing for your return, and one person in particular is eager for your return." God replied.

"And who would that be?" Mads asked further.

"You'll never know unless you return." God answered with an almost evil smile.

"How would it even work if I went back? Would I just wake up in space with no chance of escaping?" Mads asked.

"Circumstances are ideal for your return. A familiar organization has recovered your body and they are hard at work rebuilding it. They too know it is only you who can save this galaxy. However, without your soul, they will never be able to bring you back to life." God replied.

"Interesting, but why would I go back. Life in heaven seems pretty good and everyone I know is here." Mads said.

"So you don't care about what happens back in the real galaxy? You would rather kick your feet up and watch from a distance as everyone's lives are destroyed?" He asked.

"Really? That's the card you pull?" Mads asked back.

"And what of the Russian throne? You have always preached that everyone in your family should keep that in the back of their minds, it might be destroyed if you don't save it." God was really squeezing him.

Mads let out a loud sigh and thought about it for a few moments. God(Or whoever he was) was making a pretty good case against him.

"If I do this, then I need to sweeten the deal. I need free hands to do this." Mads demanded.

"You always done it your way, I would be surprised if you didn't do as much going forward." He replied.

"Fine, then I'll do it." Mads said.

The smile that grew upon god's face was uncomfortable to look at.

"Excellent, I'll even throw in another sweetener." God said.

"And what is that?" Mads asked.

"You'll find out soon enough. I will now send you back. So long Mr. Romanov. I will watch your progress with great interest." God replied. He then snapped his fingers, turning everything black once again.


	29. Chapter 28: Back along the living

**7/1/2184**

Mads' mutilated body lied on the operating table. Cerberus had spent the last 1 and a half year rebuilding the Red Eagle, who was now a legend. They had focused efforts on the organs and brain, seeing it as the top priority currently.

Miranda Lawson and Wilson were doing routine check on Mads' vital organs and scanning his brain. Wilson was checking and scanning the brain when he began to spot something weird happening. In the beginning he thought he was seeing things, he blinked his eyes to make sure he was seeing it right, after all he hadn't slept in maybe 17 hours.

It was still there, but it was supposed to be impossible, at least at the age they had deterimed him to be. It would have made more sense if he was an infant.

"Miranda, you better come see this." Wilson requested while his eyes were still planted to the monitor showed a scanned image of Mads' brain.

Miranda let out an annoyed sigh. She didn't trust Wilson and sure as hell didn't like him, but he was a valuable asset in bringing the red eagle back to life.

"Can it wait?" Miranda asked.

"No it can't. You REALLY need to come see this." Wilson replied.

Miranda walked over to his work station. "What did I need to see?" She asked as she crossed her arms.

"This" Wilson answered as he zoomed in the image to reveal something remarkable.

"Impossible." Miranda dismissed.

Mads, the already valuable hero, was beginning develop biotic abilities. It was impossible, in order to do as much, one had to be exposed to element zero while one was still in the womb.

"I'm telling you, it's real!" Wilson proclaimed.

"It can't be, something is wrong with your hardware." Miranda replied, still sure it was a error or something like that.

Suddently they heard the device that recorded brain activity begin to rise at a rapid pace. They stormed over to the body of Mads and began to look for the cause for the sudden rise in brain activity.

"What the hell is going on?" Miranda asked, she immediately blamed Wilson. He must have fucked something up.

"I don't know! His body is not ready to support him yet!" Wilson replied as he began typing away at the console sitting right by the operating table.

* * *

Mads saw the light. Like before it suddenly engulfed him, almost blinding him. He slowly opened his eyes to see the operating light above him. He slowly looked over his body and was horrifed to see what had been done to it.

It was mutilated beyond belief and then the pain set in. Every corner of his body screamed at him in pain, trying to tell him something was wrong.

 _Did God just fucking prank me?_ Mads thought to himself through the pain.

"We're going to lose him!" a man yelled to a woman.

Mads looked at the man. He was right beside the table of which Mads was currently lying on. Mads decided he needed answers, and he needed them quick. There was no telling how much time had passed since his departure, perhaps the reapers were already invading. He couldn't wait to be finished, if he had to face the Reapers in a wheel chair while his skin burned, so be it. Mads took notice that his limbs seemed to be working just fine and so he grabbed the man by the throat and pulled him down to his face.

The man was grasping for air and was trying to wiggle himself free.

"WHERE AM I?" Mads asked in a very deep voice that he didn't even know he had.

"Please- Let – Go" The man pleaded. Mads was annoyed he didn't answered the question he had just been asked, so Mads tried again.

"WHERE AM I?"

"Miranda- Give- Him- The- Sedative" The man said while still trying to get some air.

The woman named Miranda began typing away at her console and soon Mads could feel the effects of the sedative. Mads kept to his theory that he couldn't sleep now, so he let go of Wilson and began filling his body with adrenaline, by yelling slurs and knocking his hand down on the table, to combat the sedative that was in his vains.

"GIVE HIM MORE!" The man demanded as he still tried to take in as much air as possible.

Miranda continued to type away at her console and soon Mads could feel himself relax more, the pain slowly began to fade away and finally he shut his eyes.

Darkness welcomed him as always.

* * *

"Jesus, that was close!" Wilson remarked while he was still out of breath.

"I just gave our only subject enough sedative to take down an elephant." Miranda stated as she eyed Wilson with an evil look.

"Don't look at me like that! I didn't have anything to do with it!" Wilson defended himself.

"We'll see about that." Miranda replied as she left the room.

Wilson watched her leave as he sat down in his office chair. He had been shaken by the experience he just had. He wasn't sure how to feel about his subject trying to kill him. He also felt a little bad about not answering his question.

Miranda was semi running to the room where she could contact her boss, the illusive man. He had demanded updates about everything that was happening, and this one he was about to get in person.

She stepped into the room, and soon everything changed into the surroundings of the illusive man's office, over looking that burning star.

She was also surpising that he pretty much never left that room, always ready to take the call whenever it came.

"Miranda, how may I help you?" The illusive man asked as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"There was a problem with the subject. He woke up." Miranda replied.

"I thought he wasn't ready to wake up." The illusive man stated.

"He wasn't" Miranda answered.

"Then how did he wake up?" The illusive man asked.

"I'm not sure, but I believe Mr. Wilson might have had something to do with it." Miranda replied.

"That's somewhat of an accusation mrs. Lawson." The illusive man commented.

"I know, but I'm almost sure of it." Miranda said.

"There is another matter we need to discuss." The illusive man said to change the subject.

"And what is that?" Miranda asked.

"We have tried to follow up on captain Romanov's backstory. His files is surprisingly classified, even more so than councillor Anderson's file. His offical file states that he was born in 2150, but-"

"But what?" Miranda interupted .

"That file was created in 2174, a full 24 years later. His file also keeps referencing something called ' _project vossozdany'_ . A retired colonel Richard was head of it, perhaps someone with your set of skills could get some information." The illusive man suggested.

"I'll get it done." Miranda accpted.

"Good. We'll talk later." The illusive man said as a final note before closing the link down.

* * *

 **22/6 2185**

A loud bang was the first thing Mads heard as he awoke. His eyes slowly adjusted to the light after spending so long being shut. He heard a voice yell over the comms in the room, it was a woman's voice, that much he could tell.

"Romanov! Wake up!" The voice commanded. Mads noted she had a hint of an australian accent.

Mads could feel his ribs hurting as he tried to sit up on the table, another bang was heard, this one was closer than the other.

"You need to grab armor and a gun from the weapons locker!" The woman screamed at him.

Mads rolled off the operating table and fell on the cold hard ground. It felt like his legs were sleeping, but that was probably to be expected. God knows how long he has been out of action. Mads slowly crawled to the weapons locker and opened it.

He managed to support himself against the wall as he equipped the armor. It looked like a copy of the standard N7 armor, not his usual set of armor, but it would have to do. Mads took out the only weapon inside the locker. It was a pistol, he immediately noticed it was rather different. It had a loading chamber for thermal clips.

It would appear that the alliance had taken him up on his advise. The Geth's idea to override overheating with a better firing rate. There was no clips in sight though.

"Mechs are headed your way! Find cover!" The woman demanded.

 _Like I don't know how to handle myself_ Mads thought bitterly to himself as he took cover behind the table he had been on. He noticed a clip on the ground a few feet from him, however it was out of cover.

Mads rolled over to it and grabbed it before heading back to cover.

Mechs, the alliance sometimes used them for combat simulation. They were as dumb as rocks, but that didn't make them any less annoying to deal with.

A few mechs entered the room, most likely looking for him. Mads waited for them to get close. He could hear their metal feet walk on the floor. He used it to get a picture of where they were where and how to take on the task ahead of him.

Mads leaped from cover and took the mechs by surpise. They bearly had time to react to him before getting shot.

Mads' ribs still hurt, but the pain was slowly fading away. Mads procedded to the next room while the woman kept giving him instructions on what to do. Mads had to admit that he was slowly but surely getting more annoyed at her constant barking of orders.

Mads saw several personal lying dead on the ground. Their uniform wasn't alliance issue, but the emblem on their shoulders seemed awfully familiar to something he had seen before. Mads kept moving, he didn't have time to waste.

Mads kept fighting his way through the different rooms and up several flights of stairs. Mads came to a room where their was a whole squad of the mechs waiting for him, he took cover as soon as he spotted them.

"Don't waste any time! I can't distract them for long!" The woman told him, a reminder to move his ass.

Mads jogged through a corridor before seeing a greande launcher on the ground. Mads quickly took it. It seemly oddly convenient that it would be so close to a situation where it was needed. No time to dwell on such issues.

Another large squad of mechs appeared coming out of a door. The greande launcher made short work of them however.

The woman began to break up. The line between them was full of interference. Mads noticed that he was in some sort of office complex.

 _Might as well dig around a little._ Mads thought as he went into one of the offices. He went through the logs left on the terminals. They spoke about him, or rather him as a subject. The other one said that the cost had already surpassed 4 billion credits.

 _4 fucking billions?_ Mads had to admit, he was flattered that he was worth 4 billion credits.

Mads pressed on, he went up another set of stairs, only to watch a man get slaughtered by a YMIR mech.

There was another log. It mentioned someone named Miranda. She was the one in head of the project. It must have been her on the comms with him.

Mads went through a set of doors and was greeted by a battle between an african american male and maybe a dozen mechs. The man flexed his biotic powers and took out a couple of them by throwing them down the hole in the room.

"Hey!" The man yelled from his cover as he was still under fire.

"Romanov? I thought you were still on the operating table?" The man asked as he Mads joined him behind cover.

"You probably know more than I do." Mads replied as he broke cover and shot a mech.

"Fair point. Nice beard by the way." The man commented.

"Beard?" Mads asked. He had been too busy to notice, but they had not taking their time to shave him while he was on the operating table. He had grown a big bushy beard, he had to trim it when he had time.

"If you don't mind me asking, who the hell are you? Are you with that Miranda woman?" Mads asked.

"I'm Jacob Taylor, head of security on this station." Jacob replied.

"You ain't too good at your job." Mads commented as another bullet hit the cover. Jacob chuckled.

"I thought you were still work in progess." Jacob said.

"I believe I still am, but unforseen events changed that." Mads replied as he popped out of cover and shot another mech before ducking back down.

"You're right." Jacob replied.

"Can you fill me in quick?" Mads asked.

"Can it wait til we pop these mechs?" Jacob asked back.

"I suppose." Mads said.

"I'm a biotic, you give the order and I'll slam them away." Jacob suggested.

"A biotic? I could use some biotic abilities right about now." Mads replied.

"Didn't Miranda say you were a biotic?" Jacob asked confused.

"Me? A biotic? No way." Mads answered even more confused.

"The reports stated that you had developed biotic abilities while in comatose." Jacob said.

"The gift, so that was what it was." Mads said to himself.

"Huh?" Jacob asked.

"I'll tell you later. How do I use it?" Mads asked back.

"You just gotta focus your power and it should come naturally." Jacob replied.

"Alright, on 3 we kill these pricks." Mads ordered.

Jacob nodded.

"1"

"2"

"3"

They both popped from cover. Jacob took out the ones on the right with his biotic abilities. Mads focused on the targets and pulled off the same thing. He was surpised by how easy it was. Soon they were all gone.

"Nice work, captain." Jacob said as they took in some air.

"Yeah, I haven't completely lost it yet." Mads replied.

"Now, you mind filling me in?" Mads asked.

"2 years ago you were killed in action. The alliance declared you dead and with good reason. Your corpse was in a bad shape when we recovered it. You should be happy that you crash landed on a winter planet, it kept your corpse from decomposing too fast." Jacob explained

"If you ain't the alliance, then who are you?" Mads asked.

"Sorry, can't tell you right now." Jacob replied. Mads looked at him confused, but decided not ro push it right now.

"Did the others survive the attack?" Mads asked.

"Most of them did, a few crewmen and navigator pressly didn't make it." Jacob replied.

"Any idea what's up with this attack?" Mads asked.

"I'm not sure, I was about to get some shut eye when every mech in this place turned hostile. My best guess is that it is an inside job."

"Damn, let's find a way out of here." Mads suggested.

"It should be this way." Jacob answered as he went towards the door.

"Is anyone out there?" The comms suddently jumped to life again, this time it was a man's voice. A voice Mads remembered.

"Wilson, is that you? I'm with Romanov in the D-wing. Where are you?" Jacob asked.

"Is he alive? How the hell- Never mind, get your ass over to the network control room!" Wilson ordered.

"Roger that." Jacob replied.

"Is that the same Wilson I heard when I woke up at some point?" Mads asked.

"Sure is. Chief medical chief on the project. Let's go." Jacob said as he began walking, Mads followed him.

They fought their way through several rooms. Everywhere they went, mechs were fighting them. Mads tried out his new biotic powers several times and found them quite amusing to use. Seeing the mechs fly around in the air did give a certain morale booster for him. He was already getting tried of the gun he had been given. Mads hoped to get his 44. Magnum back as soon as possible.

Wilson cried out over the comms that he had been attacked by the mechs. He was in server room b. Jacob and Mads rushed over to his location as fast as they could. They found him on the ground with a bullet wound in his leg. Mads ran over to the wall where there was some medi-gel.

Mads quickly ran over to Wilson and applied the medi-gel to his wound.

"Suppose we're even steven now?" Mads asked as he applied the medi-gel.

"Yeah, suppose so." Wilson replied as he slowly stood up, careful not to put too much weight on his wounded leg.

"I tried to fix the problem, but whoever did it, did it well."

"How do you even have security clearance? You were in bio-wing." Jacob questioned.

"I was trying to fix this mess! I even got shot doing it! How do you dare question me?" Wilson asked with a very angry tone.

"Shut it, both of you. We better get out of here." Mads broke in.

"You're right, we need to get Miranda!" Jacob said.

"Miranda? It's probably her who started this mess!" Wilson suggested.

"Miranda? No way, this is her life's work!" Jacob replied.

"Miranda helped me up and warned me, I doubt she would kill me off this way." Mads joined in.

"Alright, then maybe it's not her." Wilson said.

"Let's point fingers later. Now I suggest we get the hell out of here!" Mads suggested.

Mechs flooded the room, Mads ordered Wilson to use overlaod in the canisters in the room, pretty much killing off all the mechs. Just as they were about to leave, Jacob stopped him.

"Romanov, if I tell you who we are working for, will you trust me?" Jacob asked.

"You really want do this, Jacob?" Wilson asked.

"It real be real hard to escape together if he is expecting a bullet in the back." Jacob replied.

"It's your funeral." Wilson commented.

"That depends on who you work for." Mads said.

"The Lazarus project, the one that rebuild you, it's funded and controlled by Cerberus." Jacob said.

Mads pulled his gun and pointed it at Jacob's head.

"SWEAR on your life, you aren't fucking with me right now." Mads asked as he held the gun to Jacob's forehead.

"It's true!" Jacob answered nervously.

"I saw first hand what Cerberus is capable of doing. If you expect me to trust you, then your are delusional beyond belief." Mads said, still holding the gun to Jacob's forehead.

"Told you." Wilson said in the background.

"You, shut the fuck up." Mads replied to his comment.

Jacob didn't know what to say. He simply remained silent.

"However, you are also the reason I'm alive and the only way out of this shithole of a station." Mads said as he took the gun off Jacob's forehead. Jacob relaxed a bit.

"The illusive man will explain everything once we get off the station." Jacob said.

"The illusive man? What the hell kind of nickname is that?" Mads asked.

"Don't ask me, no one knows who he is." Jacob replied.

"Let's go." Mads said angrily. Still pretty pissed about being stuck with Cerberus personal for now. They fought their way through the base until they came to the shuttle port. After a small battle between the three and dozens of mechs, they went up to the door that would lead them to the shuttle.

Wilson ran up to the door and began to unlock it. As the door opened, it revealed a familiar face. To say Wilson was surpised was almost an understatement.

Miranda simply said "Hello Wilson" before blowing his brain out. Mads pointed his gun at Miranda, not really sure what to think.

"I see justice is served shiftly in the organization of Cerberus." Mads said while keeping his aim on Miranda.

"Jacob, what have you told him?" Miranda asked.

"I just told him we worked for Cerberus. He was less than pleased." Jacob replied.

"You mind taking that gun off me?" Miranda asked as she look Mads in the eyes without fear.

"Depends if I end up as mr. Wilson over there." Mads answered.

"We have spent 2 years rebuilding you. We won't lose you now." Miranda said.

Mads thought about it for a moment or two, not really sure what to do.

"Let's get out of here." Mads said as he lowered his gun.

They all went to the shuttle. It flew out of the station that was now a graveyard for all those workers.

As they flew on the shuttle, Miranda took out a data pad. Mads looked at her confused.

"We need to make sure your mental stability is in order. We have a little test." Miranda said.

"Really Miranda? He fought well on the station, that has to count for something." Jacob broke in.

"The illusive man wishes us to ensure that Romanov's memories and personality are still intact." Miranda replied.

Mads leaned back in his seat on the shuttle, eager to see what these tests were.

"According to your offical file, you were born in 2150 in St. Petersburg.-" Miranda started.

Mads formed a grin on his face. They had fallen for the trap, _excellent_. He thought.

"However, that file was a decoy. Your real birthday is 31/8 1992." Miranda continued.

The grin dropped from his face faster than he could say shit. _How the fuck?_ Was the only thing going through his head at that point.

"How the hell did you know that?" Mads asked with a more confusing tone than an angry one.

"You buried your past well, captain. But Cerberus is good at uncovering secrets. We know about project _vossozdany._ I had to meet colonel Richard in person to get the details, since no files about the project exists. It's an interesting back story, a tragic one at that. Mother, Father, sister and brother all dead." Miranda explained. She had a dumb smile on her face. A smile Mads wanted to knock out of her.

"That was classifed information, Miranda. Don't know if I should be impressed or angry at you figuring it out." Mads told her while looking her in the eyes.

"Your biggest achievement besides taking down Saren was defending the human colony of Elysium. You held off an entire army of pirates before reinforcements arrived." Jacob broke in and said.

"Didn't have much of a choice. Either death or victory, I choose the latter." Mads replied.

"It was damn impressive." Jacob complimented.

"On Virmire, you had to leave a squadmate behind. Gunnery chief Ashley Williams died, why did you make that choice?" Miranda broke in and asked.

"I only had time to save one. In the haste of the moment, I decided to save Kaiden Alenko, because I believed he was more valuable. I have the upmost respect for Gunnery chief Ashley Williams. I did after all sign her death warrant." Mads explained.

"No one is blaming you, Captain. The facility had to be destroyed by any means necessary." Jacob said.

"Yeah, doesn't make it any easier." Mads replied.

Miranda was about to do more tests, but Jacob talked her out of it. Soon they arrived at the new station where they could contact the Illusive man.

* * *

Mads went down the set of stairs to the comms room, where he could contact the so called illusive man.

It seemed like the room uploaded him into some sort of database, and soon he found himself in what appeared to be the Illusive man's office.

"Captain Romanov." The illusive man greeted.

"Illusive man, how naive of me to think we would be seeing each other in person." Mads replied as he crossed his arms.

"Call it a precaution. Not unusual for people like us." The illusive man explained.

"You don't know me." Mads fired back.

"You need to see the bigger picture. Humanity is up against the greatest threat it has ever faced."

"The Reapers, I know"

"Glad to see your memories are still intact. How are you feeling?"

"I could use a smoke. But what are the reapers doing that's so menacing?"

"We're at war, no one wants to admit it, colonies have been disappearing, human colonies. There is a high chance that it's someone working for the reapers, just as Saren did for Sovereign. You were the one to put them down, that's oen of the many reasons we choose you."

"If this is true, then I have to help you."

"I figured you would need evidence. We just received reports of the lastest abduction, the colony of freedom's progess. There is a shuttle waiting for you."

"I'll guess I'll have a look, but only because you rebuild me."

"Remember that this is your operation, what you says go. You always have a choice."

"Yeah right."

The illusive man disconnected the call. Leaving Mads in the otherwise empty room. Mads walked back up the stairs to where Miranda and Jacob was waiting. Jacob had a crate in his hands.

"This is the gear we salvaged from your body. Old body armor, boots and a 44. Magnum." Jacob said as he handed Mads the crate.

"Thanks. Is the rest is still on the Normandy?" Mads asked.

"Yeah, we wasn't able to get it." Jacob replied.

Mads opened the crate and took out the contains inside. Mads equipped his armor and put on his jackboots. He could tell that they had repaired it to the best of their abilites. He put on his belt with the thigh holster. He checked the chamber to see it was fully loaded, there was two speed loaders and 18 loose rounds. It would have to do for now.

Now it was time to head for freedom's progess. To see what the fuss was all about. 


	30. Chapter 29: Reunion

Tali was running across a green field. From what she could gather, it was Geth that chased her. She ran, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. There was no looking back, and it seemed like there was no escape either.

She was correct in her theory, soon she came to a wall, one too high to climb and she didn't have enough time to run past it. She turned around and faced her attackers with her back pressed against the wall. She had but a pistol to defend herself from about a dozen Geth, that had now lined up and was ready to kill her. She held her breath, not really knowing what to do.

When she heard something, a sound she hadn't heard before. She looked past the Geth and saw something remarkable.

There was the Captain, her Captain, riding on something. It must have been... what did he call it? A horse? He mentioned he could ride those things when they had one of their conversation in the engineering department. It was white, as far she she could tell. The captain seemed had a unifrom on.

Romanov pulled out a sabre as he drew ever closer to the Geth threating Tali. When he was in range, he swung the sabre, taking two of the Geths' heads clean off. He circled around to take on the next lucky winners. The Geth had a hard time hitting him or his horse as he rode at an incredible speed.

Soon the Geth were all gone and Romanov pulled up to her. He offered for her to take his hand and ride with him.

"Come on Tali!" He said.

Tali eagerly accepted the invitation and hopped on the horse's back. She held on tight to Mads as they rode off. She rested her head on his back as they rode off into the sunset, she felt safe by his side.

"I will soon be back, Tali." He whispered to her.

* * *

 **22/6 2185**

Tali woke up in her bed on the Neema. She had been having these dreams for the past few weeks, they were largely the same. Tali would find herself in some inescapable situation, but the Captain would always come to her rescue her somehow. They would always end with him telling her he would soon be back.

She didn't know why she had a sudden spike in dreams about him. After his death, her dreams had been only about him, but then after a few months it began to fade away. But now she was only dreaming of him once again.

She deeply regretted never expressing her feelings to him. She had grown quite fond of him in their time together, however short it may have been. She held her necklace in her hand, the _crucifix_ it was called. Romanov had explained to her that it was the humans' prophet and the son of God. Tali found it weird why they had killed their own prophet. It was the only reminder she had of him and so she wore it everyday she could. Some of her fellow crewmates and even her own father sent her dirty looks whenever she wore. She didn't care.

Prazza walked into her quarters on the Neema. He told her they had to do a new mission for the admiralty. Tali quickly got ready for what would happen next.

* * *

The place called Freedom's progess seemed haunted, it was a surreal experience. It was like everyone had just left. It was snowing, but not as heavily as on Noveria. The wind created haunting nosies against the empty prefabs. The Migrant fleet had intercepted a distress call from trhe colony a few hours before, it had come from a Quarian named Veetor.

They had come to his rescue. He had chosen the human colony of Freedom's progess as his pilgrimage destination.  
They didn't know what to expect, but surely not an empty colony with no trace of any of the humans there leaving. Tali was leading the team of Marines to rescue him. They were walking through the thin layer of snow, when one of the team members spotted a shuttle flying over the colony.

Prazza was quick to point out that it was a Cerberus vessel. The Quarians and the Migrant Fleet had already had a few run-ins with the pro human terroist group.

"We need to get Veetor quick!" Prazza proclaimed to the group. Tali was annoyed at his disobedience of orders from her.

"NO! We need to stay focused!" Tali yelled at Prazza.

"You want to be killed by Cerberus? Fine by me! But don't drag us other down!" Prazza fired back.

Tali grew angry, she was about to give a rant when she noticed they had already rushed ahead. Tali tried to follow them through the prefabs. One of the doors they came through lead to a courtyard filled with Mechs.

The Quarians seemed to be winning in the beginning, taking down the weak Mechs with ease. Then the tide changed in just about half a second, when a YMIR Mech came around from behind a prefab. It was slow, but very deadly. Tali took cover behind some barriers and tried to help her squad by hacking into the giant Mech.

It did little to help them however. They fell like flies, some were shot, some were crushed. It was a horrible scene to look at. Tali kept trying her best to weaken it as much as possible.

Prazza was the last to fall, he was crushed beneath the iron boot of the robot. Just before his demise, he cursed Tali for not helping further and called her a traitor.

Tali felt gulit run through her, even though it could be argued that he brought it upon himself. Just as the giant Mech finished off Prazza, it set it's eyes upon Tali and began it's slow death march towards her. Tali began to panic, she typed in several commands on her Omni-tool to give any sort of advantage, even if it was just a means of escaping. She quickly found out that she simply didn't have enough time.

An old familiar feeling began to wash over her, the same one she had two years ago on the Citadel when she tried to exchange information for protection. She knew that this was the end for her, that she would die on this God forsaken colony.

She closed her eyes and awaited what would come next. She accepted her fate, that she would die. She prepared herself for the shot that would end her otherwise short life. She grabbed her necklace tight in her hand, her sole comfort. Instead of a gunshot, she heard something else.

"Hey Tin can!" The voice sounded awfully familiar, she could have sworn she had heard it before. That slight russian accent, that firmness commanding voice.

The robot began to slowly move around to target the new threat. She could only see the outline of the man that went up against the mech, but she could see that he pointed a pistol at it. He fired a shot, it's loudness matched only one weapon she had ever heard before.

The shot hit the mech right in a weak spot on the left arm, disabling it. The mech prepared it's only good arm to shoot at the man.

The man began running towards the Mech. The move could only be described as stupid by any onlookers, but he seemed to know what he was doing. The man slided right between the legs of the Mech. The mech was too slow to react in time, and before it knew it, the man had climbed on its back.

He climbed up the back of the mech. Tali now knew that it wasn't a stupid move, but rather a brillant idea. The Mech simply couldn't get to man, but it wasn't for a lack of trying though. The man slowly climbed up the back of the mech while it tried to wiggle him off. He finally made it to the hatch on the mech's back. He shot the lock off and pulled out a grenade. He took out the pin with his teeth as his other hand was busy holding on to the Mech.

"idi k chertu!" He cursed as he threw the grenade into the mainframe of the mech. He jumped off the mech and did a roll to minimize the fall damage. He took cover behind a box as the Mech tried fruitlessly to remove the grenade from it's core.

The Mech blew up into a thousand pieces, the scrap that was once attached to the mech now laid scattered on the snow covered ground. Tali didn't know what to think of what just happened. She went out of cover, she wasn't really sure why she did it. But she had a feeling, a small feeling that this man was the one she loved.

The man wore a helmet, so she couldn't make out any facial features on him. The man noticed her and began walking towards her. His boots made a very familiar ring as he walked over to her. She was almost completely sure it was him.

When he was about 5 to 6 feet from her, he pulled the gun on her. Held it right up to her visor, she could see the darkness of the barrel. The gun pressed against her visor, but she looked past it. Through the helmet, she could make out his eyes. It was the same blue eyes that her heart had melted for 2 years ago, but now they were staring her down.

Tali felt the word she had prepared die down in her throat. He was the one to speak up.

"Where did you get the crucifix?"

Tali remained silent for a moment or two. The question sealed the deal, it was him. No one else would have taken notice of such a small item only slighty visable on her neck. Tali spoke with soft words.

"You gave it to me."

Now it was Mads' turn to be silent, it was like he was incapable of formulating a basic sentence. He hadn't expected to run into a crew member on his first mission, much less Tali. Mads let the hammer go back, disarming the gun for now. He put on the safety on the 44. Magnum and put it back into the holster. He took of the helmet and looked into Tali's eyes. Tali took note of the big beard he had grown, the biggest she had ever seen on a human. Not that she had seen many humans. She did find it kind of sexy.

"Tali?" He asked.

"Yes." She simply replied.

None of them knew how to react in the situation. They were both baffled to see eachother, but perhaps Tali was the most surpised. She realized all her dreams had been telling her the truth, he would soon return.

"I'm, eeerrhh... Sorry for pointing a gun at your head. That was uncalled for." Mads said to break the silence.

"It's okay." Tali replied with a warm voice.

"No, it's not. I should have realized it was you. I just figured that someone might have looted your corpse or stolen it from you. You look different, more mature... if you will." Mads said.

"I accept your apology. It has been 2 years already and a lot has happened." Tali answered.

"You look good." Mads commented. For some reason or another, he felt an old familiar feeling creep up in him, one he had tried to suppress for so long. It's was the old feeling called love, or maybe affection? Only he had never felt it burn this much before.

Tali blushed at his comment, she was glad he couldn't see her face at that moment. "Thank you" She replied. Then she grew a bit angry, she remember that he had been gone for 2 years and hadn't once tried to contact her. She voiced her anger. "Why didn't you try to contact me? What have you been doing for 2 years?"

"I have been busy being dead! Cerberus has just finished putting me back together!" Mads replied, his tone was more angry that he wished for.

Tali was taken back by his response. But it did make sense in a rather weird way. The alliance never recovered his body, because Cerberus already had. Then she realized the other part of his sentence, was he with Cerberus now?

"Romanov, please don't tell me you joined Cerberus." Tali pleaded. She was nervous for the answer.

"Cerberus and me have a common goal, to stop these attacks on humans. But I have not forgotten the horrors that we saw 2 years ago, Tali. I will never submit to their ideology, no matter the stakes." Mads explained.

Tali calmed down. "That's good to hear." She replied.

Mads pulled out his pack of cigarettes and put one inbetween his lips. He took out his zippo lighter and lighten the cigarette up. "Mind telling me what a squad of Quarian marines were doing on a recently abandoned human colony?" Mads asked as he exhaled some smoke.

"Fuck that's good." Mads muttered to himself as the nicotine hit him.

"We were looking for a Quarian named Veetor. He is here on his pilgrimage." Tali replied.

"On a remote human colony?" Mads asked confused.

"Quarian can chose where to spend their pilgrimage. Veetor liked the idea of helping a small colony. He is well... Nervous around crowds." Tali answered.

"Is he still here? Is so, he can help us find out what happened here." Mads suggested.

"We believe so." Tali replied.

Mads' earpiece came to life. It was Jacob reporting that they had found some signs of life inside the control room.

"We'll be right there, Jacob." Mads answered.

Mads and Tali walked to the control room, where Miranda and Jacob waited for them. They were ready to breach the room, when Tali hacked the door open for them. Mads quickly scanned the room, looking for any potential enemies. He only found a lone Quarian setting by a large number of monitors.

"Veetor?" Mads asked, remembering what Tali said.

"No, there is no Veetor here." The Quarian named Veetor replied.

Mads looked over at Tali, not really sure how to proceed. Veetor was most likely traumatized by whatever had happened on the colony.

"It's okay, Veetor. We're here to help." Mads said as he slowly walked towards Veetor.

Veetor didn't turn to face him, but kept his eyes glued to the monitors. He didn't even bother to respond, instead he ignored them and kept typing away at his terminal.

Mads fired up his omni-tool and typed in a few commands. The screens shut down. Veetor was confused, and most likely scared at first. He finally turned around to face them.

"You... you are humans? How come they didn't find you?" Veetor asked, still completely out of it.

They looked at each other, not really sure what the Quarian meant.

"Who didn't find us?" Mads asked.

"The monsters!" Veetor replied as he turned on the monitors again and showed some videos of a species abducting humans. Mads was taken back by the videos.

"Okhuyet" Mads muttered to himself as he watched the loop of the events.

"It that who I think it is?" Mads asked.

"It's the collectors." Miranda replied.

"I thought they were but a myth." Mads commented as he kept his eyes on the video.

"So did I. Nasty bunch, living on the other side of the Omega 4 relay. Only coming to trade with other species when they something interesting to offer." Jacob remarked.

"What the fuck do they want with the humans?" Mads asked.

"No idea, it's our job to find out." Jacob replied.

"I have data, I recorded them." Veetor broke in.

"We need to bring him back, he might be holding out on information." Miranda said.

"NO! Veetor is injured and needs medical care. I can't let you drag him with you." Tali almost yelled. She looked onto Mads for support.

Mads felt the same feeling run through him again. He tried once again to put it down. In the end, he gave Tali the support she wanted.

"Veetor needs medical care. He'll go back with Tali." Mads ordered.

Miranda looked very offended at Mads. "Understood." She replied coldly.

"Thank you. You can take his data with you." Tali said. Mentally thanking Mads for his support.

"Miranda, Jacob. Wait for me at the shuttle." Mads ordered. They nodded and went on their way.

Tali began treating Veetor for any injures he had.

"You know, you could come with me. It would be like the old times." Mads suggested.

"I would love to, but I have a mission, one that's too important. If I survive, we'll see..." Tali replied.

"Survive? What kind of mission is this?" Mads asked.

"It's classified, but it's in Geth space, so that should say everything." Tali answered.

"That sound awfully dangerous, Tali. If you need any help, you just let me know." Mads said.

Tali remembered how kind he always was. How he always helped her when she asked.

"Thank you, but I think I have this covered." Tali said.

Mads pulled her up into a hug. Tali gladly accepted. They hugged each other for a little while before departing.

"Be safe, Tali." Mads ordered.

"I will." She replied.

They parted ways. Tali remained to treat Veetor and Mads went back to the shuttle. They had the evidence they needed and now it was time for war.

* * *

 **Quick translation of some of the Russian words used in the story.**

" **idi k chertu!": "Go to Hell!"**

" **okhuyet": "Holy Shit!/Wow!/What the fuck?**


	31. Chapter 30: Omega

_Where are you, Mads?_

 _Why did you leave us behind?_

 _Why are protecting someone else?_

 _You promised to come back!_

 _Here they come again, the voices. The echoes of the long dead. They creep their way into the black matter of my brain, haunting me for the mistakes I made, for everything I have done._

 _I tell myself that they are but my imagination, created out of guilt. I like to think I have moved on, that I'm a new man, a man that has adapted to this new world. But the truth is much more grim._

 _I thought I had made my peace with them when I saw them in heaven, but I was mistaken. It is said that nostalgia is a powerful drug, one that can be addicting. I so often find myself using it._

 _I'm not changed, if I was, I would have rid myself of all old artifacts._

 _I must live with my curse, I doomed to walk this road, and this road alone._

 _There were so many different vocies. I recognized every single one of them, expect one. It was the sound of a baby crying._

 _I somehow know that this baby is a symbol of life, the life I could have lived._

* * *

 **25/01 2017**

 **St. Petersburg, Russia.**

"You are _what_?" Nika asked. Mads and her had been together for three years. She was 2 years younger than him, but was focuesed on getting a high degree in science, where Mads had choosen his path within the military. The last year had put a strain on their relationship. He had been sent to Syria twice within the last year.

"I'm going back." Mads replied coldly.

"And you only tell me about this NOW?" She was upset. Mads could understand her anger, but this was a matter not up for discussion.

"I have only just been notified." Mads answered. He was getting tired of these fights they were having.

"With a week notice?"

"Yeah! With the fall of aleppo, the army wishes to push while it still has momentum. They need the best, and that's me."

"So you're just going to leave? How are we ever going be a normal couple if you keep running off to play war?!" She fired back.

"I'm down there to PROTECT you!" Mads replied.

"I fail to see how you are protecting me in a country over 2000 miles away!"

"I rather be fighting them down there, then getting a call someday telling me that you died in a bombing!"

She went quiet. Then she began to lightly cry as she sat down on the leather couch. Mads sighed, he had made her sad again with his talk of death. He sat down beside her and tightly hugged her, she cried into his shoulder as her grip on his shoulders tighten.

"Why do you jeopardize your own life? How can we ever start a family if something happens down there?" She finally asked with sobs inbetween the words.

"Nothing will happen, my dear. I'll be just fine, and I'll be back before you know it." Mads replied as he held her in his arms.

"How long-" She took a pause to breathe "Will you be gone?" She asked.

"I'll be back sometime in mid april. Once I'm back, I can talk with them about a long vacation. We can go travel, perhaps south America?" Mads suggested.

She laughed as much as she could in her current state, so it was more of a chuckle. "I would like that." She replied.

Mads kissed her forehead. "Everything will be alright." He whispered to her.

* * *

 **23/6 2185**

 **SR-2 Normandy**

 **Captain's quarters.**

Mads jumped up in bed covered in sweat. That dream, he hadn't had it in a couple of years. He remembered Nika, it had almost been love at first sight. She had looked beautiful in her sundress and that had instantly caught his eye. She had told him that he looked very handsome in his uniform, so Mads had caught her eye as well. Mads fell back into the bed.

Mads always regretted leaving for war, there were many reasons for that: His family, his friends, but most of all, her.

Why did have that dream? Was it just his mind haunting him once again? Then the answer dawned on him, it was because of his new found love for Tali. His mind was telling him not to do it again, to let yet another soul down.

Mads needed time to think, to think about if he really wanted love in his life. He swung his legs around and landed them on the ground as he sat up in bed. He reached over to his night table beside the bed. He took the pack of cigerettes and placed one inbetween his lips.

They were headed to Omega, the safe heaven for all criminals. They were there to recruit 3 new members to their team.

Mads took the time to look over the room. It was nice, almost a small apartment. Mads ran his fingers over his tattoos, Jacob had told him that Cerberus had flown in 3 of the galaxy's best tattoo artists to recreate the body work done on him almost 170 years ago. They had used alliance pictures from the early days of the project as source material. They looked nice and were well done.

Mads went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. With his big beard, he looked like a caveman, or worse. He took a bread trimmer and made it look a bit better, reducing it's size and so on.

His hair on his head had grown a bit as well. He was going to get a hair cut the first chance he got. Perhaps that Kelly girl could help him.

Mads then took a long cold shower. It helped clear his head. His mind kept drifting back to Tali. He tried pushing out the thoughts he was having.

Mads stepped out of the shower and got changed into a uniform. His wardrobe was filled with Cerberus uniforms. He sighed, he should have known. He would to get something else at some point, for now the cerberus uniform would have to do.

"Captain Romanov, specialist Taylor requests your presence in the armory." Edi called out over the speaker in his room.

Mads didn't know what to think about the AI that had been installed in the new Normandy. He had been fighting Geth and now he was supposed to be happy that a AI was controlling the entire Normandy? And they named the AI Edi none the less?

"I'll be right there." Mads answered as he tugged his feet into his jackboots.

Mads walked out the door and went down the elevator and went to the armory.

"Good morning, Captain." Jacob greeted as he stopped his work on a rifle.

"Good morning, Jacob. What is the issue?" Mads asked.

"Logistics I'm afraid." Jacob replied as he grabbed the datapad from the table and began skimming it.

"What is going on with logistics?"

"Well, we have enough terminal clips to keep us going for a long time, and we can always buy more. The problem lies within your choice of weapons. That 44. Magnum is not easy to locate ammo for. Considering we are Cerberus, the alliance refuses to sell us any form of ammo. We have not been able to locate another source for 44. bullets. I was hoping that I could persuade you to use one of the other weapons we have." Jacob explained.

"Damn, that is a problem. Neither the alliance nor the citadel will sell us anything. Hmmmm..." Mads thought for a little while for a possible solution. Then he remembered an old contact.

"I only know one person who can sell us that much ammo unregulated and unofficial" Mads remarked.

"And who is that?" Jacob asked.

"Sergei the Merchant." Mads replied.

"Sergei the Merchant?"

"Don't tell me you never heard of him."

"Can't say that I have."

"Sergei is probably one of the biggest weapons smugglers in the galaxy. Certainly the biggest based out of earth. He can get you anything from a knife to a Turian military cruiser, if you pay well enough. He is also the only one to deal in old human weapons." Mads explained.

"You know we can't go to earth, right?"

"I know, let's hope I still got those favors. How long before we reach Omega?" Mads asked.

"2 days I reckon." Jacob replied.

"Alright, let me call him."

* * *

Mads went into the comm room and made the call to the old contact number, he was praying that it was still solid. Sergei had a habit of changing it every now and then.

The call came to life; The hologram was glitchy. A deep voice spoke out.

"пароль" It ordered.

"Услышишь гром и вспомнишь обо мне" Mads replied.

"Mads?" It asked

"да" Mads replied.

"I heard you were dead." The hologram stopped being glitchy and showed Sergei in his full form. He was in his mid fifties, had a scare across his left eye. His eyes were blue with a hint of green. He stood calm, but he was surpised to see an old friend return. He was quite tall, about 6'4 feet. Almost as tall as Mads himself.

No one knew much about Sergei, not even his last name. There were rumors of course, but some of them were hard to believe. Most people believe he was in the alliance, mostly due to his military know-how and his hatred of Batarians. He hated them so much in fact, that he would often pass up large contracts from Batarians slavers.

"I been hearing that a lot." Mads replied.

Sergei stopped the awkward silence by laughing. "It really is you! My friend, how have you been?"

"Dead. I have been parlaying with god."

"Back from the grave? How so?"

"I can give you details later on. I need ammo, a lot in fact. How fast can you send a shipment to Omega?" Mads asked.

"I don't know, 2 weeks."

"That won't do."

Silence fell upon them once again. No one really sure how to proceed. Then Sergei snapped his fingers.

"You know what, it's perfect. 2 birds with one stone. I can get it to you in 4 days. What do you say?"

"4 days I can manage."

"Alright, how much do you need?"

Mads took a moment to do the math.

"At least 25 boxes of 44. round, 150 boxes of 7.62×39mm and 80 boxes of 12 gauge." Mads replied.

"о, чёрт! That's quite the order. That's going to cost you."

"Don't worry about my financial abilities, just worry about getting it there."

"Don't worry, I'll be there. I will send you the details within 2 days." Sergei.

Mads was about to end the call, when Sergei spoke up.

"And Mads. It's good to have you back."

Mads smiled. "It's good to be back." Mads replied and ended the call.

* * *

 **25/6 2185**

 **SR-2 Normandy**

 **Right outside Omega.**

Mads stood in the cockpit of the Normandy. In the pilot seat was none other than Joker. Mads glad that Joker was onboard with the mission, it was nice to see a familiar face, well him and doctor Chakwas. Mads and him had been talking for a few hours, just catching up. Joker still felt gulity for not doing more to save Mads. Mads assured Joker that he did everything he could and that everything went as they were suppsoed to go.

The Normandy docked on Omega. "Welcome to the biggest shithole in the galaxy, Captain. Hope you enjoy your stay." Joker said as he parodied a tour guide.

"Thanks" Mads laughed. He had already suited up. He was taking the only two members he had with him. Miranda and Jacob. He didn't really trust them, but he did trust Jacob more than Miranda. She seemed very hostile in her nature.

The smell was the first thing to greet Mads. He really did smell like a shithole. His first sight was even more revealing. Several people were on the ground, coughing bad. The hallway looked like it hadn't been cleaned in more than 100 years.

Mads took a few steps, his boots echoed throughout the small hallway. The people stopped what they were doing to look his way. A Salarian came up to him, eager to speak with him.

"Ah! Welcome to Omega! You are new here, aren't you? I can tell!"

A Batarian came up beside him and told him to bugger off. "Captain Romanov, Aria wishes to speak with you. Go to afterlife now." He ordered.

"I'll go to afterlife when I please." Mads replied.

"Aria's word is final around here." The Batarian explained in a angry tone.

"Yeah?" Mads asked as he headbutted the Batarian. He fell on the ground. "Pass on the messege" Mads ordered.

"Okay, I'll tell her you will come later." He replied as he got on his feet and ran towards afterlife.

Mads could feel everyone's eyes on him. No one was supposed to stand up to Aria's thugs. Mads then spotted a man over in the corner who was busy beating up a batarian. The man's armor stood out, and Mads recognized him as Zaeed Massani. He had received a dossier about him, a hired gun. Finding him had been easy at least.

Mads slowly walked over to him. Zaeed must have heard him coming due to the loud hobnails, because he threw a last punch into the batarian's gut before turning around and facing Mads.

"I take it you are Zaard Massani?" Mads asked.

"Yeah, you must be that Captain Romanov. I heard we were going to save the galaxy. Be some big guddamn heroes, or something like that. " He replied.

"Indeed, we are taking the fight to the collectors. I trust you will be able to find your way to the ship once you dealt with this fella here?" Mads asked as he pointed to the half dead batarian beside him.

"Yeah, I'll be there. But one thing, did your boss tell you about the favor I requested?"

"No, he leaved that detail out."

"Good thing I asked. Have you ever heard of Vido Santiago?"

"That cocksucker who runs the blue suns?"

"Yeah, that's the one. I have taken a contract from a big oil company, the blue sons have laid siege to one of their big plants. They want it back."

"Fine, we'll deal with it when I'm done here on Omega."

"And when is that?"

"2-3 days."

"Great, see you on the ship, you big guddamn hero."

 _Interesting character._ Was Mads' only thoughts regarding the hardend mercenary.

"Let's get to this Aria." Mads ordered.

* * *

They all went to the afterlife club. Getting in was easy for them, but not so much for everyone else, considering the line that had forming outside the club, everyone else was eager to join the fun inside. This place, Omega, was really a shithole by every standard. Poverty dominated the rock, there was no law and order.

Mads, Jacob and Miranda had just walked in through the front door, when some less than friendly Batarians found Mads in the wrong mood to party.

"You! Give up your money" The Batarian demanded.

"Who? Me?" Mads asked.

"Yeah you, shitbag. What to have a premature death?" The Batarian took and aimed a pistol at Mads. Jacob and Miranda kept their weapons ready.

Mads laughed. The Batarian looked confused at Mads, not sure what was so funny. While the Batarian was distracted, Mads took the chance and knocked the gun straight out of his hand. Before the Batarian could even react to what had happened, Mads twisted his arm around and brought the Batarian to his knees while still holding his arm.

Using his own knee, Mads broke the Batarian's arm. The Batarian winced in pain and Mads let his arm go. Mads took it upon himself to teach the fucker one last lesson. So he stepped on the broken arm, causing unbearable pain to the Batarian.

"Next time you wish to rob someone, be sure to have the situation under control." Mads told him. All the batarian could do was nod.

"Get the fuck out of here, and don't let me catch you again." Mads ordered.

He didn't think someone with a broken arm could move THAT quickly, it was quite fun to see.

"Did you have to do that, Captain?" Jacob asked as Mads watched the door closed behind the Batarians.

"Hell yeah, he needed to understand what happens when you fuck with me." Mads replied. They went silent.

"Let's go." Mads ordered.

They went into the heart of the club called afterlife. Drunk people and pole dancers populated the lively room. The chatter only deafen by the loud music playing. The trio made their way across the room and over to the stairs leading up to the very ' _office_ ' of the so called queen of Omega.

Aria had armed guards all over the place. She was looking out over the club. One of the batarians began searching him and checking to see if he was indeed the real Mads Romanov.

"What this, Aria? Isn't my good looks enough?" Mads joked.

"Anyone can claim to be the famous Captain Romanov. We needed to make sure it was really you." She replied while keeping her eyes on the club.

Mads sighed as he took a seat at the leather couch.

"You'll do well to remember that there is but one rule here on Omega: Don't fuck with Aria." She informed.

"Understood." Mads replied.

"Now, what did you need?"

"Information. Dr. Mordin Solus, where is he?" Mads asked.

"Ahhh... Doctor Solus. I like him, so unpredictable, a man after my own heart. You'll find him in the quarantine zone, busy saving some lives while taking others." She answered.

"Quarantine? Is there an epidemic?"

"Yes, but you shouldn't worry, it doesn't effect humans."

"Alright, where is the quarantine zone?" Mads asked.

"By the apartments, it's impossible to miss." She replied.

"Do you know the location of 'archangel'?"

"Yes, but you will probably have trouble getting to him. Pretty much every gang on Omega is going after him."

"An vigilante?"

"Call him what you will. He hasn't wronged me... Yet. So I won't waste resources on him, he is indeed skilled. There is a recruiter here in the club, who can take you to 'archangel'."

"Thanks for the information." Mads said as he raised himself from the seat.

"Whatever" was her only reply.

* * *

 **Once again some quick translation for the russian used in the text.**

" **пароль": "Password"**

" **Услышишь гром и вспомнишь обо мне": "You'll hear thunder and remember me" (Old poet by Anna Akhmatova**

" **да": "Yes"**

" **о, чёрт": "Damn!"**


	32. Chapter 31: New and old

**Hey fellas!**

 **Just a quick update for those who might be interested:**

 **I have just been in Germany for job interviews, so if things go well, I'll be spending the next year there, starting in august 2018. I have therefore concluded that I want to finish this story before that. I'll will therefore try to pump out more chapter going forward.**

 **Kind Regards**

 **-KanisRussell**

* * *

 **25/6 2185**

 **Omega.**

Mads, Miranda and Jacob was on their way to the Quarantine zone, walking through the shit filled streets of Omega. Mads couldn't help but feel disgusting by the lack of hygiene on the small station. The fact that normal civilians could live and raise their children here was beyond him. People turned their eyes on them where ever they went, most of them didn't believe that it was in fact the famous commander Romanov that walked alongside them.

They finally arrived at the door that would lead them to the Quarantine zone. There was a guard posted at the door, most likely to make sure no one entered... or left. Mads had gathered an idea about the plague that haunted that part of the station; It seemed that humans and Vorcha were the only ones that were unaffected by the sickness that filled the air. Most people concluded that humans were behind it, most likely in an effort to exterminate whatever other species lived there.

It just seemed weird, why would humans do that? They would practically be comminting sucide, as already shown by the large number of humans killed, simply because they 'might' have been behind it.

The guard was arguing with an angry human female. She wanted entry into the quarantine, he of course denied any entry. They had a small verbal fight, she wanted to get her things, he wanted her to stay the hell away.

Mads was about to go through the door, when he was stopped by the guard. "Where the hell do you think you are going?" The guard asked as he held Mads back.

Mads was in no mood for any of this bullshit. "You either get your dirty hands off me, or I'll cut your fucking jacobs off and fed them to you!" Mads replied as he eyed the guard with a look that could only be described as menacing.

The scene remained tense and quiet. Finally the guard took his hand of Mads. "You are free to go ahead." Was his only comment. The woman was quick to protest, demanding entry of her own. The guard simply told her to shut it.

* * *

If Mads thought that the streets of Omega was dirty, he was in for a big surpise when he went through the door to the Quarantine zone. The air was filled with the smell of death. The whole neighbourhood felt dead and depressed. They had tried to combat the plague by burning any one who showed any form of symptoms.

The streets were always a lot more quiet than the rest of Omega, then again, half of the neighbourhood was dead. The other half seemed busy trying to kill each other.

The team had to fight their way to get to Dr. Mordin. It was by no means an easy task. Mads held back on using his 44. Magnum, considering he had very limited ammo for it, that would of course change in a few days time. He had the chance to stress test the new line of weapons that had been provided to him, he didn't find the same love for them as he had for his old weapons.

It was a long fight, one the showed just how far the gangs were willing to go to secure territory for themselves. A hatred of humans had been born in this neighbourhood, everywhere they went, there was signs saying that it was all the human's fault. The Blue Suns muttered curses and slurs against the team as they fought them.

Finally, they reached the small clinic set up by Dr. Mordin. It wasn't much, but it was a light in the middle of hell, at least for the people. Mads stormed into the room where Dr. Mordin was currently shouting orders to his staff. Dr. Mordin spoke fast, like he had taken speed and was on his 17th cup of coffee. He was the ultimate Salarian, in pretty much everyway.

"Dr. Mordin?" Mads asked.

"Yes? Who is there?" Mordin turned around and face the three. He began theorising what group they belonged to.

"No need to guess dr. Mordin. We are from Cerberus." Mads replied.

"You shouldn't be that liberal with telling people who we are." Miranada told Mads.

"And you need to shut it." Mads answered coldly. She did indeed shut it after that.

"Cerberus? What do they want with me?" Mordin asked. Once again he began to theorize. 

"We need your help. We're currently in the midst of a god damn war! Collectors are abducting humans in our colonies and we need your help to understand how they do it!"

"Interesting! Collectors could also be behind this plague. But I'm not going anywhere until it is cured. Fortunately I got the cure, just need to distribute it. What is the best way to do that?" Mordin began once again to theorize about possible ways to achieve his goals.

He reached the conclusion that the vest way was the air way. "Give me the cure, and I'll take care of it." Mads said as he grabbed the cure from out of Dr. Mordin's hands.

"Come on, we are moving out." Mads told the two team members. Mordin told Mads to keep an eye out for one of his men that had gone missing.

* * *

They fought their way thorugh the disease ridden streets of omega, that had been reduced to a simple gang war. Vorcha and The blue suns were fighting over turf, the Vorcha had one slight advantage though, they couldn't get sick.

They had managed to find the missing crew member Mordin had been talking about, they saw him returned safe and sound, without anyone getting killed.

Neither of that matters however, as the team were focused on one thing only: curing this damned disease that haunted the population. The bodies fell as they slowly made their way to the control room for the air vents.

"NO! STOP!" A Vorcha cried out as he appered before them with his band of mischiefs.

"Out of my way, NOW!" Mads called out.

"NO! WE HAVE OBJECTIVE! WE KILL ALL! WE SMASH ALL! WE POSION ALL! COLLECTORS PAY US, WE CLEAN!"

"Fuck this." Mads muttered to himself as he drew his 44. and planted a bullet right between the Vorcha's eyes.

As the Vorcha fell, his friends began opening fire upon the team. Shots were exchanged between the two groups. The Vorcha certainly had numbers on their side, but it meant nothing, as both Mads, Jacob and Miranda were quite skilled in the art of combat.

They fell liked flies, one by one the all met their fate. Pumping the cure into the air vents would have been easy, had it not been for the constant combat they found themselves in.

With a final push on a button, it was settled. The whole area would now be disease free, in a few days time at least. With that finished, they headed back to where they started, Mordin's clinic.

Mads stormed in through the door into the the room where Mordin currently was. "We're done, pack your things."

"So it would seem. Nicely done, I'll see myself to your ship, the normandy was it?" Mordin asked. "Indeed" Mads answered.

"I suppose we should head back as well. We'll get Archangel tomorrow." Mads ordered. They both nodded.

* * *

 **26/6 2185**

Dr. Mordin had settled in well. The lab had already been claimed by him and he was hard at work finding a way to bypass whatever means the collectors had of stripping a whole colony.

Mads had taken the time to remove all devices from his room that listened in on him. He had thrown them all into a small basket and placed it infront of his door.

Mads had spent most of the moring looking at himself in the mirror of his bathroom. The voices, they kept on haunting him. They had even begun to creep in on him during daytime when he was awake. Something was wrong, it had to be.

Mads washed his face in cold water to regain some sort of sanity. He snapped back into reality. He hadn't been sleeping well, not that he had slept well since his 'accident' so many years ago. In fact, he couldn't even remember what a dream without nightmares felt like. That episode with Tali had awakened something in him, though he didn't know what it really meant.

He got dressed in his armor and took a last look in the mirror. The more he thought about it, the more he was acting like Mad Max. He had been brutal and he had even worse thoughts since being resurrected by Cerberus.

 _What the fuck am I going to do?_ Was the only thought in Mads' head at the moment. Once again, the weight of the human race had been placed on his shoulders, _his_ shoulders. A man that could barely keep himself together, was now supposed to keep the entire human race together.

Mads and the team walked out of the Normandy and unto the station known as Omega.

* * *

They were waiting in a queue to sign up for the slaughter that was going after Archangel. Happy idiots were lining up at the promise of 500 credits. Finally it became their turn, the recruiter, a Batarian of course, greeted them. "You three look like you could do some damage! How about a little job, easy money."

"We're going after Archangel, we heard this was the place to sign up." Mads replied.

"Indeed! Glad we can work together! If you'll just sign here, I can get you transported to the place of attack right away!" The recruiter presented them with a long contract, Mads simply skimmed it through. It gave a lot of limtiation, mostly about sourcing your own gear, how to collect your reward, and to follow orders.

Mads knew they would turn on them as soon as possible, so he signed. For now, he would play along. Just as they were about to leave, a kid entered, no more than 18 at the most. "Hey, is this where you sign up?" The kid asked with great enthusiasm.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" Mads asked. He sensed what the kid was doing. The kid was looking for glory and reward, but he would only find trouble, or death. Mads could have walked away, but the voices creeped up inside him again.

 _Another soul, will you damn this one as well?_

 _Will he have no future?_

 _Are you always this cold, Mads?_

 **GET OUT OF MY HEAD!**

"What is your problem?" The kid asked as he confronted Mads, thinking he was tough.

"You think this is a game, huh? You think you are on top of the world. You think having that pistol turns you immortal? Well, it's the opposite, you will become a target out there. Archangel will kill you, clean, one shot through the head. Your mother won't even be able to have you in an open coffin." Mads grabbed the kid's pistol and broke it.

"What the hell?" The kid asked, in a very confused and raged manner.

"I just saved your life, go do something useful." Mads replied coldly as he handed him back the broken pistol.

All the kid could do was stand and look confused at Mads as he left the place.

On their way to the transport, they went past a dark alley way. As they passed it, a voice called out. "Captain Romanov?" Mads stopped dead in his tracks and pulled out his 44. and pointed it to the dark shadow standing the alley way.

"Reveal yourself!" Mads called out.

"No need to be hostile, captain." The figure said as he was engulfed by the light from the street lamps. It revealed a very familiar face, William Robert Sheridan. The former Alliance golden boy, turned Cerberus operative, allegedly. His blonde hair almost shining in the light and his light blue eyes coldly kept him in sight.

"Mr. Sheridan?" Mads asked. All William did was nod his head.

"I thought you were still in Cerberus." Mads asked as he holstered his gun.

"I was, but I soon discovered that I was tricked. You have no doubt heard about my sob story, for a time, Cerberus was my only hope, and so I became a mindless follower of them. Until I meet one of the pals that went with me to Akuze, he... enlightened me. Cerberus used me as a damn guinea pig for their 'science'."

"Interesting." Mads commented.

"For a long time, I looked on from the sidelines when I was in Cerberus. You became the new symbol of humanity. Imagine my shock when I hear rumours that you are alive and well, and with Cerberus none the less."

"I'm not with Cerberus." Mads coldy replied.

"Really? Is that not a Cerberus vessel you are parked in? Is that bloke and Miranda not with Cerberus. By the way, nice to see you again, Miranda."

"Don't get cocky, you betrayed Cerberus, you are lucky I won't kill you right here, right now." Miranda replied

"They have sponsered my mission, nothing more, nothing less." Mads broke in.

"Oh... So because it only says Cerberus on the paycheck, it is alright?" William asked.

"Shut up! They are the only ones that give a damn right now. It will be a cold day in hell before I ever support them, but I need the help to stop these attacks."

"Noble... But I have started a new organization called 'Outer Heaven'. We are very... what should I say? Anti-Cerberus? Take my advice, Captain Romanov. Don't go to bed with Cerberus, you will only regret it later on."

"Perhaps, we'll see."

"And I'll be seeing you around, captain. You too, Miranda." William said as he disappered into the dark alley way once again.

Mads looked over at Miranda with a questionable look. "What?" She asked.

"You know him?" Mads asked back.

"We worked together for a while in Cerberus. We even investigated Saren together. He went rogue just before you faced Saren yourself. I figured he would be dead by now." Miranda replied.

"Really? Interesting... Anyway, let's go find this Archangel." Mads ordered.

* * *

The ride had been short. They were driven to the slaughter. This part of the station was in a bad shape, not that the other parts of the station were in good shape. It had become a warzone, where an endless amount of idots tried their luck in taking down Archangel. The reason Cerberus had chosen Archangel as a possible team mate came to light, he was skilled, no doubt about it.

During their way to the front line, Mads made sure that the groups trying to bring Archangel down were as ill prepared as possible. This included re-programming of their Mechs and a knife through the skull of the man repairing the gunship.

Then, the moment finally came. To go over the top. They climbed over the barricade and unto the bridge. The fell under instant gunfire. Mads took cover behind some rubble as the shots rained down. On the bridge was several dozen dead freelancers that had been recruited for a sum of 500 credits.

Using the opportunity created by the arrival of fresh meat, Mads was able to make his way towards the building that Archangel was holded up in. As Mads entered the building, he quickly noticed he wasn't the only one to make it across the brigde. A quick shot to the back of the head cleared out the remaining survivors.

The only hope now was that Archangel hadn't rigged the door to blow or something like that. He had no way of knowing that these people were there to help him. The door opened to reveal a Turian sniping however was dumb enough to attack from the brigde.

"Easy there. I think it's safe to assume you are Archangel?" Mads asked as he apporched the Turian who was now facing them.

The Turian slowly removed his helmet, the face that was revealed almost sent Mads into a state of shock. "I think we know eachother long enough to use our real names." Garrus said with a smirk.

"Garrus! Is that you? Jesus christ on the cross!"

"I'm the one who should be shouting holy. Last I checked, people don't usually come back from the dead."

"Most people don't have 4 billion credits and access to top medical staff."

"I see, you certainly are cut above the rest."

"It's good to see you Garrus." Mads finished as he gave Garrus a hug, one that Garrus returned.

"But Archangel? Since when did you become religious?" Mads continued.

"It's wasn't really my idea, some people simply liked the charity I was doing here."

"Charity? Is that what you call it?"

"Indeed"

"Huh... That's interesting. Anyway, I was kind of hoping I could persuade you to follow me to hell once more, but I see you are busy here."

"This? Please. I was just missing something to do. I'll join you."

"Then that settles it, now we only need to get the fuck out of here."

Garrus picked uå his high powered sniper and took a look out over the bridge. He was quick to spot that the enemy had regroupped and was preparing to launch yet another attack.

"Seems like we will have company soon enough." Garrus remarked.

"Then we better get to work." Mads replied as he picked up his assault rifle and took cover.

"It's good to have to back, Romanov." Garrus said as he took aim once again.

Mads let out a small chuckle. Once again, they were fighting. Wave after wave of meatheads came unto the bridge, not a single one passed it though. They brigde was filled with corpses, Mads wondered for a brief moment if someone would ever come and clean it up.

At some point, the giant mech that Mads had tempered with come unto the bridge. Garrus was nervous at first, seeing something of that size going after them, but after seeing Mads smile, he figured everything must be alright.

Then, as everything was going so lovely, the blood pack tried getting in through the basement. Garrus stressed that they needed to be taken care off, if they were to stand any chance.

Mads ordered Jacob to stay with Garrus and took Miranda with him down to face them. As the battle progessed, things became more and more tense. Mads and Miranda was able to shut off the doors to seal off any and all blood pack members. Garrus and Jacob were doing alright, but they were becoming cornered.

As Mads and Miranda came up back into the building, they noticed a group of blood pack Krogans and their leader was storming up the stairs. Mads had to think quick, there was no way Garrus and Jacob could handle them if they broke into the room where they were.

Mads threw a greande into their way, cutting them off. They now turned their attention on Mads and Miranda, giving breathing room to Garrus and Jacob. Mads and Miranda slowly picked them off, leaving only their leader back.

Their leader, Mads believed his name to be Ganar or something like that, decided to go after Garrus to take some kind of revenge.

Mads ran after him and managed to catch up to him. Mads jumped on the Krogan's back just as he was about to reach the door. Ganar tried to wiggle him off, but Mads had gotten a firm grip on his back. Mads jammed his knife into the face of the Krogan repeatly until the Ganar could no more. Ganar fell of the railing and landed on the concrete underneath. Mads had of course jumped off before things got too far.

Mads was relieved to find both Garrus and jacob in a good state, they had cleaned out most of the idiots trying their luck crossing the bridge.

"Good to see you haven't lost it yet." Garrus commented.

"I still got it, but your skills seems to have greatly improved, I mean, the three major mercenary groups all want your blood. You truly are gifted, Garrus."

"It sure as hell wasn't easy-" Garrus was about to continue, when the gun ship came to take them out.

Garrus mumbled something about how he thought he already had taken it out. Mads was quick to tell him that they had already damaged it, or at least hindered it in being repaired.

The blue sons had gone full commando, repelling down the sides of the building and in through the windows, at least they were easy to take out. The only real headache was the gunship, while it was only on half health, it was still super strong and hard to take on. It had massive fire power.

At last, the bird was downed, not Garrus, the gunship. However, it would seem like the gun ship let out a final 'fuck you' as it fired a rocket right before it's own demise. The rocket exploded right where Garrus were standing.

Mads felt himself grow nervous. He quickly closed the distance between him and Garrus. Garrus was in a bad shape when Mads finally reached him, some shrapnel had gotten to him. His face, not that it was pretty before, was now in an even worse state.

"GARRUS!" Mads yelled as he held him in his arms. Garrus was almost choking on his own blood.

"Stay with me Garrus! I haven't spend 2 years dead only to see you die!" Mads said as he tried to stop the bleeding. Mads was applying Medi-gel as fast as he could, but he feared it might already be too late.

"MIRANDA! YOU CALL THE NORMANDY AND TELL THEM TO DO A PICK UP, AND YOU DO IT RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" Mads ordered.

Miranda was quick to do as ordered. Mads managed to somewhat stabilize his best friend. He even let out a silent prayer to god. When the shuttle from the Normandy finally arrived, Mads carried Garrus to it. Doctor Chakwas was already there, and took over.

* * *

 **27/6 2185**

Mads hadn't gotten any sleep. He had been planted outside the medbay since they arrived back with Garrus. Doctor Chakwas had been hard at work, trying her best to save him. Mads was on his 7th cup of coffee when the doctor finally came out to him.

She pulled the surgical mask from her face. She looked tired, even more than him, but that was to be expected.

"How is he?" Mads asked with concern as he arose from his seat.

"He is stable, but he will need time to rest. I'm sure he will pull through it." Chakwas said as she placed a hand on Mads' shoulder.

"He better, otherwise I'll go back to heaven just to kick his sorry ass back to this galaxy." Mads remarked.

"I'm sure you will." Chakwas replied with a warm smile.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave, I got a meeting I have to attend to. Please notify me if he wakes up."

"Will do, Captain. Be safe."

* * *

Mads once again walked through the streets of Omega, searching for a warehouse. Sergei had given him the adress. It was in a dark alley way that the door was. The whole ordeal was shady, but what choice did he have? This was the only way to source the bullets he needed.

Mads went up to the door and knocked three times. A voice called out.

"пароль?"

"Услышишь гром и вспомнишь обо мне" Mads replied.

"Welcome Mr. Romanov." The guard opened the door for him.

In the middle of the room was a table. On one side, Sergei was seated, next to him: his very loyal right hand man, Mr. Popov. Popov wasn't his real name, but rather a nickname. It loosely meant priest. Why he was called that, Mads didn't know.

However, on the other side of Sergei, there was a young Turian. It wasn't anyone Mads had seen before. The Turian seemed bored.

Mads walked to the table and took a seat. Things remained, well... Awkward. Then Sergei spoke up, with his joyful voice.

"Mads! I'm so glad you could make it!"

"It's nice to see you too, Sergei. Did you manage to close that other deal?"

"The other deal? Ohhh... that one. Yes, I did indeed. In fact I did so only 15 minutes ago. Meet Mr. Dexilus. He is the son of a VERY wealthy mercenary. I sold his father some very valuable guns, but for me to close the deal, I had to teach his son a thing or two about gun selling."

"Can we just get this on?" Dexilus asked annoyed.

"Shut it. You must remember that for any good deal to take root, one must first have a friendly chat." Sergei replied. Dexilus let out a sigh.

"Never mind him. I got your ammo, but before I hand it over, riddle me this: Are you starting a war?" Sergei asked jokingly.

"Not starting one, but rather fighting one. Humanity is at war." Mads replied.

"Really? Is this about those missing human colonies?" Sergei asked.

"Yes, we have reason to believe collectors are behind it." Mads answered.

"Collectors? I knew it wasn't pirates! But I thought that collectors were but a myth."

"So did I, but they are very real indeed."

"Hmmm... Best of luck with that! Anyway, I can have your ammo loaded unto your ship, if you wish."

"That would be great. I have transferred 200.000 credits to your account."

"Great! Then we have a deal! Now, look closely, boy. One seals a deal by shaking hands!" Sergei said as offered a handshake. Mads accepted it.

"Foolish old man." Dexilus remarked.

"It was great seeing you again, Mads. I hope we can do busniess in the future as well!"

"Me too, Sergei."

Mads was just about to leave, when Sergei spoke up for a final time.'

"Oh, and Mads?"

"Yeah?"

"Do be careful out there. I have heard nasty things about these 'collectors'"

"I will. See you around, Sergei."


	33. Chapter 32: The Crashsite

**28/6 2185**

 **Normandy SR-2**

They had finally left the rotten space station known as Omega. Mads had taken some time to look through the emails he had gotten, and there was a lot of them. There were three emails in particular he kept reading over and over again. One was from his own father figure, who was now known as Councilor David Anderson, the email told him to come to the citadel as soon as possible. The second one was from Admiral Hackett, who told him to go to the Normandy crash site and find closure. But the last one really bugged him. It was from Harold and Joe Romanov, his only family in this unholy galaxy. It was a farewell message, one the left for some reason or another. He had missed them by a month, but now they were already far away and fast alseep in stasis pods, heading for a new galaxy.

Mads felt a tear creep up in his eye. He was quick to wipe it away. Perhaps it was best this way, now he didn't have to worry about them anymore, he didn't have to protect them. He hoped with all his heart that they would find what they were looking for.

After spending a few moments feeling sorry for himself, Mads ordered the Normandy to fly to the crashsite. Some of his crew didn't make it out alive, and he owned the families some closure on that matter. Then he would of course reclaim his weapons, who were, hopefully, still locked inside his locker in his quarters.

It would take a little time for them to reach the crashsite, that was located on the snowy planet where he himself had crash landed, and broken pretty much every bone in his body. Mads went back to his room, the king suite as the crew member had come to call it. Mads planted himself in his office chair when he got there. For a moment or two, he just let his thoughts run wild.

 _What is life without meaning, Mads?_

 _Is this what you are looking for?_

Mads was quick to regret his choice. He needed to stop letting them choose his actions. He was supposed to be a free man! It didn't matter, in the end, he would have to live with it.

Once again, he stared into the mirror of his bathroom, it had become some sort of ritual for him to perform every morning. His face, he had begun to hate it. He felt a certain amount of shame looking at it. In a fit of rage, Mads punched the mirror with all his might. It shaddered instantly. Leaving his hand bloody from the glass.

His rage calmed down, and he began to notice the pain in his hand. He quickly got some medi-gel and healed the wound, but he still wrapped it in bandages.

Then, Edi called out for him. "Doctor Chakwas requests your presense in the medical bay."

"I'll be right down." Mads mumbled as he got dressed. Mads, for once in like 11 years, decided not to equip the glove on his bloody hand. To be honest, he could care less about the reactions from the crew at this point.

Mads walked into the elevetor and took the ride down. He was greeted by the friendly face of Kelly Chambers. "Good morning, Captain!" She said with a joyful voice.

"Morning." Was all Mads muttered in response.

"Are you alright?" She asked concerned.

"Huh?"

"You seem pretty down today, I just thought- JESUS! What did you do to your hand?"

"Oh, this? It is nothing to worry about." As Mads inspected his own hand.

"You should get that looked at."

"Hmmm, maybe."

"Maybe? You know what, let me take a look at it."

"It's fine." Mads responded, but just as the words had left his mouth, she was already there to take a look at it.

Mads sighed as she removed the bandages. Kelly instantly took note of his rather, colourful hand that was covered in ink.

"Oh, I like your bodywork."

"Huh."

On the proximal phalanges part of each finger, there was a portrait of different people, but it wasn't any Kelly knew.

"Who are they?" She asked to make converstation as she inspected the damage.

"Ancestors; it's mostly a symbol, but I like to think they guide my fingers to make the right choices." Mads replied.

"That's beautiful and poetic."

"I'm glad you think so."

"So, tell me Mads. Are you alright?"

"What did you call me?"

"Isn't that your first name?"

"Yeah, but very few use it. And the 'd' is silent."

"Sorry... you don't like me using it?"

"No, its fine."

"Alright, so tell me, are you alright?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'alright'."

"If you need help, I'm here, you know."

"Thanks, but I'll be alright."

"Okay, be careful."

Mads nodded as she wrapped the hand in the bandages again. He went off to visit the doctor, he wasn't sure if it was wise to tell Kelly all that, but did it really matter in the end? A good question, one he would have to time to philosophize on once he got back to his room.

As Mads walked into the medic bay. He was greeted by Doctor Chakwas, he took instant notice of the hand. Mads was ordered to sit down on the medical bench, or whatever it was. Doctor Chakwas, much like kelly, took of his bandage and inspected the wound.

"Did you punch your bathroom mirror?" Chakwas asked as she got out some tool she would need to clean the wound.

"What did you know?" Mads asked back

"You still have some small pieces left in your knuckles. Might I ask why you decided to punch your mirror?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Huh, Are you feeling alright, mentally I mean."

"Why are everyone concerned with my mental heath?"

"Because it isn't normal human behaviour to punch your bathroom mirror."

"Fair point. Let me put it like this doc: You worry about my physical injuries, I'll worry about my mental health."

"If that's how you want it, but I do got a degree in physiological, if you need some help." Chakwas said as she finished up the treatment.

"That's good to know. Now, what did you call me down for?" Mads asked.

"Garrus was awake eariler. He asked how he looked."

"Hah, that sounds like him. Cheeky bastard."

"He also asked for you, he wanted to do some sort of beauty comparison. He then fell asleep again."

"So, he is stable?"

"Yes, I think he will make a full recovery. I don't think you should use him for any hard lifting on your mission for the next month however."

"I'll try to look after him. Thanks doc."

Mads was glad that the people on the vessel cared about him, but this whole issue was something he needed to face alone, behind closed doors. He spent the remaining part of the day talking with his newest members who wasn't sleeping in the medical bay.

It was hard to get a word in with Dr. Mordin. He spoke so fast, and sometimes Mads simply couldn't keep up. However, he was the right man for their job. He had already begun to think of possible solutions to their problem, by using whatever small amout of data they had.

Zaeed was in a hole other category. He certainly was interesting, and was quick to point out his own achievements as a bounty hunter. He had choosen a weird place to set up shop, but he was a weird fella, so maybe those things went hand in hand.

After speaking with several other crewmembers, including the newest ones in engineering. He decided it was time to retire to his quarters. They would reach the normandy crash site tomorrow.

Mads went over to his desk, and opened the minibar underneath it. He pulled out a bottle of vodka and took with him a glass. Mads planted himself in his leather couch and made himself a drink. He put on a good action movie and leaned back, but not before had himself a smoke.

Hours went by before he went to bed.

* * *

 **29/6 2185**

 **Normandy SR-2**

The days were beginning to feel the same. He hadn't been alive and kicking for long, but he was beginning to find himself once again. Now, it was time for the final goodbye to the old Normandy, a ship that had served him well. He also was there to pay his respects to all the souls that didn't make it out in time.

Mads took the shuttle down to the snowy planet. As Mads took his first step outside the shuttle, he felt sadness creep up inside him. Mads began to locate and collect the dog tags of each fallen crew member. Their names stacked up, it wasn't anyone he really had spoken long with. However, one of his highest ranking officer was also buried here. Charles Pressly, they had never really been friends, but they respected each other.

Mads discovered one of Pressly's datapads buried in the snow. The snow had damaged it quite a bit, but Mads could roughly make out what was written on it. It showed the evolution of Pressly, from hating Aliens, to somewhat liking them.

Mads also found his old helmet, it was ruined. But it was a nice reminder of what had happened. Mads collected the remaining tags and placed a monument to the normandy and it's crew. Mads stood infront of the statue and looked at it for a little while. It seemed fitting to leave such a mark. Mads saluted the statue.

Now, another matter had to be adressed. His weapons. Mads managed to find his quarters after a long search. There it was, the locker they had been stored in.

 _Let's hope it still works._ Mads thought as he began to try and open it. Of course it was stuck, just his luck. Luckily, he had brought with him a crowbar. After struggling to open it for a few seconds, he pried it open.

There they, as good looking as ever. They probably needed a cleaning before being ready for battle, but a cleaning he could handle. Then, Mads noticed a very special box lying a few feet from him. They were intact as well? Mads quickly popped the lid to see if the items inside were broken. They were not. Excellent.

Now, he was done here. This graveyard would forever be here, a reminder of what happened. A piece of history if you will.

Now, there were other matter to attend to.

* * *

 **31/6 2185**

Garrus was finally back on his feets. And they were back at insulting each other, it was almost like nothing had ever happened. And Mads wouldn't trade it for the world. Garrus, for now, was a nice counter balance to his own emotions.

"Come on! It's not _that_ bad!" Garrus proclaimed as he looked into the handheld mirror. Garrus had choosen to spend his time at the front cannon of the ship, he said he needed to calibrate it, or something like that.

"Cheer up, Garrus. I've heard that Krogan females find scars _quite_ attractive." Mads replied.

"You are not suggesting-"

"I'm sure Wrex can find you a suitable partner."

"Fuck you." Garrus replied in a friendly manner.

"You wish."

Then Joker's voice came over the comm. "We're apporching the citadel, we'll be there in about 30 minutes time. You know, in case you want to put on something fancy."

"Looks like I need to get ready." Mads remarked.

"Can I tag along?" Garrus asked.

Mads thought about Doctor Chakwas remarks. Should he bring Garrus with him? Mads quickly concluded that it wouldn't be anything special on the citadel, so why not?

"Sure, just be ready. And make sure that face stays together, I don't want to clean it up." Mads replied.

"Very. Funny." Garrus said as he made a fake laugh.

Mads left the room with a grin on his face. He quickly went up to his quarters and got changed into his armor. Not that he thought he would need it, but it was always good to be safe.

* * *

Stepping onto the citadel, Mads noticed it had a changed a bit, and yet it still felt the same. As they walked through the security scans, the C-sec pointed out that he had been declared dead. It was a bit of an awkward situation, but they managed to figure it out.

Soon Mads walked through the door to the councilor Anderson's office. Anderson knew Mads was coming, but the other councilors didn't, in fact, they didn't even know if he was alive for sure. Anderson went to greet Mads.

"Anderson you old dog! How are you?" Mads asked as he gave him a hug.

"Not bad, but this whole council business take up a lot of my time." Anderson replied.

"I figured."

"Come on, let's go talk to the council."

"Do I have to?"

"Don't act childish. Come on."

To say the councilors were surpised would be an understatement. They were almost in shell shock, haven seen a face that they thought was long dead.

"Captain Romanov. I see you are alive." Councilor Tevos remarked.

"You got a good eyesight." Mads replied.

"Charming as always, Mr. Romanov."

"You know me well, Mrs. Tevos."

"Tell us, Captain. Are the rumors true? That you have allied with Cerberus?" Councilor Valern asked.

"Yes and no. Cerberus is funding my current mission to stop attacks on human colonies, considering that _some_ people have declared their uninterest in the cause-" Mads said as he looked over the councilors.

"But I have not joined up with them, and I don't share their overall goal."

"Do you have any information on who is attacking human colonies?" Councilor Valern asked further.

"Evidence show that collectors are behind the attacks. I believe there are puppets for the reapers."

"Reapers? We concluded that they didn't exist years ago!" Councilor Sparatus proclaimed.

"What about Sovereign? Or the Prothean VI on Ilos?"

"There is no evidence to show that Sovereign wasn't just a Geth creation, and whatever you spoke to on Ilos isn't there anymore." Tevos explained.

"This just goes to show the state of your mental health, captain." Sparatus commented.

"I'll be sure to keep your comment in the back of my head for the next time I am forced to decide who shall survive a battle." Mads said refercing his choice to save the council.

That comment made Sparatus shut up.

"I believe we can make a compromise." Tevos suggested.

"I'm listing." Mads remarked.

"We'll make you Spectre again, under the condition that you keep your activities limited to the Terminus system. Then the council have acted in good faith, and you can continue to do what is needed to be done."

"I suppose I can live with that. But I won't file reports, if you expect that."

"That's alright."

"Then you have a deal."

"Excellent mr. Romanov. Then that would be all" Tevos said as a final note and closed the meeting.

Anderson came up beside Mads. "You know it's just a symbol, right?"

"Yeah, but hey, at least I get to call myself spectre again." Mads joked.

Anderson let out a small laugh. They both went to the railing and looked out over the busy Presidium.

"I take it things have been stressful?" Mads asked.

"That's one word for it. I never thought I would be doing this... politics is so damn overrated." Anderson replied.

"So, how have things been?"

"Hard. Humanity may have a seat on the council, but they sure as hell don't really want our help. We have been rebuilding, and we tried to piece together what happened. There simply wasn't enough evidence to conclude that the Reapers existed. I believe you, but the others don't. And I doubt they will begin to believe you any time soon."

"What about Kaiden, how is he doing?"

"Kaiden has been promoted, and is worked on a classified mission. I can't tell you more."

"I hope I'll see him again."

"I hope so too."

"It was great catching up with you, Anderson. But I have to leave now. I'm on a tight schedule, so many fires to put out, so little time."

"I know that feeling. I'll be here if you need me."

"Thanks." Mads said as he waved goodbye to Anderson.

* * *

Mads had recived a mail last night from the Illusive man. Another member had to be filled on the crew. He had choosen a theif, or something like that, by the name of Kasumi Goto. He had to say some weird sentence to an ad to speak with her.

He saw the ad, it was obvious that it had been hacked into. It spoke some bullshit about companions.

"Silence is golden" He muttered. He felt dumb saying it.

"It's so nice to meet you Captain Romanov. I'm Kasumi Goto, and I'm a fan" She replied.

"You want an autograph?" Mads asked jokingly.

"No need, I think I'll do without it."

"You think you are slick with the smoke and mirrors?"

"I need to watch my steps, captain. And I needed to make sure it was really you."

"Huh, Interesting. You know what the mission is about?"

"Yeah, stopping collectors. However, I require a favor to join your team."

Mads sighed. "What is it?"

"I need to steal something from a very dangerous man, and I need your help."

"Fine."

"That's it? You don't even want know the details?"

"Do I need to?"

"Hmmm... I suppose not."

"Then report to the Normandy as soon as you can."

"Will be done."

Just as Mads was about to walk off, he stopped. "By the way, Kasumi?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time you want to play this game of smoke and mirrors. At least pick a better hiding place." Mads said as he looked up to the catwalk where she had been watching him the entire time.

"I could see you coming from a mile away." Mads said as he went on his way.

"What did you?" Kasumi asked, but Mads was already gone.

* * *

Mads had hoped to be out of there as soon as possible, but Garrus wanted to shop some new gun parts before they left. Mads then took a nice walk along the lower market, where crime was still at a all time high, just why he had choosen to walk there, he didn't know.

As Mads walked along the place, he heard a small child cry out. "Mother!?" Mads looked around for the source of the voice, only to find a very young Asari child looked for her mother. Well, young in Asari years, she looked like a human aged 4-5, but she was probably already in her late teens, or start twenties. He could never understand how they aged.

Mads knew this wasn't the place for a lost child, the hungry eyes of the criminal scum were already on the small child, planing ways to capture her.

Mads acted, he didn't really know why, but he never liked to see kids unhappy. Mads went over to the small child, and asked. "Is your mother lost?"

The child looked confused at him, then Mads realized she didn't understand a word of what he said, she didn't have a translator. _Shit_ Mads thought, he had studied some part of the asari language before, but never really used it before.

"Mom lost, yes?" He knew the grammar was wrong, but his level was very basic. At least he could understand her.

"Yes." She said quietly.

"We find her, yes?"

"Okay." She replied. Mads lifted the small asari into his arms and carried her out of there before any criminals got any bright ideas. Mads quickly found his way to the C-sec police station, where an Asari was already screaming at the officer at the desk.

"You have to find her!" She pleaded.

"We are doing everything we can, miss. Please sit down and relax." The officer replied.

Mads came into the station and the small child instantly spotted her own mother and called out for her. "Mother!"

The Asari turned around and was overjoyed to find her daughter in good health. Mads put the child down, who then ran into the arms of her mother.

The two hugged eachother for a while. Mads was happy to see they reunited, and he was glad that he did something good.

"Thank you so much!" The mother said as she gave Mads a hug as well.

"No problem, miss." Mads replied. He then left the station.

Mads decided to go find Garrus, and was quickly able to locate him. The Turian had made several purchases already.

"I hope you know that you are paying for that." Mads said as he moved in on Garrus.

"I got quite the savings."

"I bet you do. How about you finish up, then we can go home."

"Where have you been?"

"I have done my good deed for the day."

"I see."


	34. Chapter 33: Grunt

**2/7 2185**

 **Normandy SR-2**

Garrus searched high and low for the captain. He wanted his opinion on a new modification he had made for his sniper. Yet, he couldn't find him, he looked in the mess, in the cargo bay, the cockpit and he even knocked several times at his cabin door.

 _Where the hell is he?_ Garrus thought as he made several sweeps of the Normandy. He finally decided to ask Kelly where he was. She was the yeoman, she had to know. And Garrus didn't really want to ask Miranda.

"Hey Garrus!" Kelly greeted with her friendly voice.

"Hey Kelly, have you seen the captain?" Garrus asked as he leaned over the table by the interactive map of the galaxy.

"Yeah, he is in the comm room." Kelly replied with a smile.

 _Of course he was in the one place I hadn't looked..._

"Thanks Kelly." Garrus said as he was about to march off to the comm room. Before he could leave however, Kelly took his hand.

"I wouldn't go in there. He hasn't been... well, happy." Kelly advised. Garrus looked at her confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"He has been talking to companies he has invested in all morning. He doesn't sound very happy." Kelly explained.

"Please, I have seen the captain angry before." Garrus proclaimed.

"He is really _pissed_. Be careful." Kelly said. Garrus brushed it off. He went straight for the comm room. Once he was almost at the door, the otherwise sound-proof walls couldn't keep out the angry yelling of the captain. Garrus had to admit, he must have underestimated his own understanding of the captain, because he had never heard anyone yell that loud.

Garrus placed an ear to the door and listed to what was going on inside.

"Please mr. Romanov! Allow me to explain-" A voice pleaded.

"You have a GREAT MANY THINGS to explain! What is this?" Mads pointed to the digital numbers on his datapad, which showed the company's Financial Statements.

"Revenue down by 15%, costs up by 30%. And this? Private spending up by 316%! And not to MENTION the removal of 11% of the equity!" Mads listed all the eye-catching things.

"We had a bad year." The guy tried to defend.

"More like TWO bad years! You think that just because I am gone for a few years, that you can run the company I HAVE INVESTED IN down into the ground?"

"Please! We can-"

"HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO! YOU FIX THIS SHIT BEFORE THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR, OR I'LL FIND YOU AND DISMEBER YOU, DO YOU UNDERSTAND? I. WANT. MY. MONEY!"

"... Yes, Mr. Romanov. We'll fix it right away."

"You fucking better." Mads said as he ended the call.

"гребаный идиот" Mads muttered as he left the room, he noticed Garrus as soon as he went out of the door. Garrus stood in shock at the words that had been spoken.

"The fuck do you want, Garrus?" Mads asked, he really wasn't in the mood for anything.

"Ehm... Nothing, it can wait."

Mads simply huffed out some air and went to the elevator. He went up to his cabin and locked the door. He quickly decided that he needed a shower, and so he did. He turned on the cold water, he had to cool himself off a bit, otherwise, who knows how angry he would get.

The shower allowed for some thinking. He began to regret his actions today, not his actions towards the company, that was somewhat justified, but more his actions towards the crew. They didn't deserve his wrath. Stepping out of the shower, he decided to trim his beard a bit more. It didn't look half bad, if he had to say so himself. Then, he brushed his teeth, sometimes he wondered why he even bothered, but over the years, it had simply become a routine.

Just as he was finishing up, he had something just outside the doors of his cabin.

* * *

 **Kasumi POV**

Kasumi always knew the in- and outs of each place she went. That was why she was so successful in her heists. Knowing every corner could be what mattered. She knew that Cerberus probably wouldn't fuck her over, but she had to make sure she knew every part of the ship, even the Captain's quarters.

The incident earlier this morning was already a hot topic along the crew. While the Captain was taking a shower, she could quickly survey his room before leaving again, with her cloak on, he would never know she was there. Kasumi was a little bit worried, what if he somehow caught her? What would he do? Her reputation wouldn't help smooth it over.

But none of that would matter, if she was there without him ever knowing it. She looked out over the room, it wasn't bad, and especially when you consider that they were on a ship. It could pass for a luxurious small apartment most places in the galaxy. She would know, because she had robbed a fuck ton of them.

While surveying the room, she felt something press against the back of her head. She knew what it was instantly, but the Captain was more than happy to further describe it.

"That's a 44. Caliber double action magnum pressed against your skull. You can uncloak now."

"Okay, how did you know I was there?" Kasumi asked as she uncloaked. No one had ever been able to locate her once she was cloaked.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Mads asked back.

"No. Clearly not." Kasumi replied. She was kind of taken back by the question.

"Then why do you treat me as one?" Mads asked.

Kasumi was about to turn around to ask what the hell he was talking about, but Mads stopped her. "Stay put" He ordered.

"I fail to understand what you mean." Kasumi replied.

"The cloak fools the eye, shifting lighting to create the illusion of nothing being there. The only thing it hides is your appearance. It doesn't account for the footsteps, the breathing nor that French perfume you have applied. I could hear and smell you the moment you entered my cabin." Mads explained.

"No one was ever been able to locate me like that." Kasumi was baffled, how in the world could he draw her location from such small trivial matters?

"That might be because you have been robbing fools. I assure you, Mrs. Goto. I'm no fool, and I won't tolerate you stealing from my cabin. So, before I splatter your grey matter all over my nice furniture. Would you like to explain yourself?"

"Well... I'm not here to-"

"And don't bullshit me, Kasumi. I know when people are bullshiting me." Mads added.

"I didn't come to steal any of your priceless belongings, if that is what you are asking."

"How about you tell me what you came to do, instead of what you didn't come here to do."

"I came here to-" There was no point to trying to lie, so she decided to tell the truth, he deserved as much.

"Survey your room." She stated.

Silence then dominated the room. She could tell that he was thinking about her response. She began to grow tired of the gun pointed at her skull, and hoped the answer was good enough.

"For what?" He finally asked.

"I wanted an overview of the ship, so that I knew every corner, every hiding spot and every escape route."

"Well then... Don't let me keep you." Mads said as he finally took the magnum away from her head.

Kasumi turned around and looked at him with a very confused look. And it was only in this moment, that she noticed he wasn't wearing anything, except for a pair of underwear. "Captain, I didn't know you were so decorated." Kasumi remarked as she studied the tattoos.

"You wanted to study the room? Or do you want to study me?" Mads asked.

"I'll take the room... For now." Kasumi replied as she carefully walked around the room, all while Mads changed into something more acceptable. Mads had only changed into some pants and was putting on his jackboots when Kasumi called out to him.

"It's not a bad place you got here."

"It serves my needs." Mads answered as he placed a cigarette in his mouth. He took out his zippo lighter, and was just about to light the cigarette, when he asked her.

"So, what is this... Heist, you wanted my help on?"

"I thought you didn't want to know about it." Kasumi asked back.

"I wasn't interested in spending any more time on the Citadel than I needed to." Mads replied as he turned on his zippo, giving fire to the cigarette.

"Well, let me boil it down then. A very dangerous man named Donovan Hock killed someone and stole something very dear to me. I plan to break into his vault and steal it back." Kasumi explained

"Donovan Hock? No shit?" Mads asked

"You know him?"

"Rather know of him. One of the biggest weapons dealers in the Traverse and Terminus. Probably one of the few to rival Sergei."

"Sergei the Merchant?"

"Don't tell me you know Sergei."

"I do. I used to do a lot of business with him. I'm sure he would approve of this mission as well."

"Huh, that's interesting. 'The elimination of competition' sure does sound like him. So, anyway, where is this 'mission' going to take place?"

"Bekenstein. He will be hosting a party, which is our chance."

"Okay." Mads said as he huffed out some smoke. "Did you get the information you came here to gather?" Mads asked.

"Yeah, uhhh... Thanks, I guess."

"No problem. Now, get the fuck out."

"With pleasure." Kasumi said as she left the room.

 _Fucking nutjob._

* * *

 **3/7 2185**

 **Normandy SR-2**

 **On route to Korlus.**

Mads stood in the cockpit, right behind Joker as they approached the planet where the next recruitment was to take place. Some Krogan war lord by the name of Okeer, or rather, Dr. Okeer. Mads felt that Wrex would have been a better option, but considering that he was too busy trying to save the Krogan race, he wasn't really available.

Garrus came up behind Mads, he moved with careful steps. Mads didn't notice him until he was by his side.

"Listen, Garrus. I'm... uuhhh... Sorry about yesterday. Didn't mean to sound harsh." Mads apologized,

"It's cool. I'm no corporate shark like yourself, but they must have really fucked up."

"They had. The Manager thought that it was his own piggy bank."

"That's messed up."

"Yeah, it is. Anyhow, it's time to add a Krogan to out crew."

"I saw the dossier, are you sure about this?"

"Not much of a choice, I don't pick them me'self."

"And here I was thinking you were running the operation." Garrus joked.

"Yeah, I fucking wish." Mads muttered to himself.

"Will you look at that. Seems like we will be dropping right into a war zone! Who would have known?" Joker commented.

Mads brought Garrus and Zaeed with him on the shuttle. True to Joker's words, it was in fact a war zone. Whatever had been on the planet before was now only a shell of its former self. They jumped out of the shuttle and straight into cover.

"Let's go find this Krogan warlord." Mads said as he jumped over the cover. Garrus and Zaeed followed suit. A female voice over the speakers kept referring to a perfect army.

"That's low." Garrus commented at the use of radio.

"Yeah, let's hope we don't run into too many hostiles." Mads replied as he readied his AK-15. As they moved forward, it didn't take a long time before spotting some enemies. Blue Suns, it seems the mystery voice had been busy recruiting good-for-nothing mercenaries for her ' _perfect_ ' army.

The team took cover, and exchanged shots with the group of hostiles. It felt good to have a proper weapon in his hands again. Say what you want about Russian engineering, but they understand what it means to deliver a product that can kill.

The 7.62×39mm bullets shredded the puny armor that the mercenaries had chosen. It almost felt like cheating, the raw power cut through their shields like it was butter. A glorious sight to behold, if you liked that sort of thing. Blood was smeared on the walls, limbs separated from their hosts and the screaming of those unlucky enough not to have been killed by the bullet.

As the moved forward, they noticed a survivor that had taken minimal damage, yet still used the wall for support.

"Who the fuck... AAAAHHHHH... Shit... Are you?" He was hurting.

"He came here to recruit a Krogan warlord, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that?" Mads asked.

"I don't know shit."

Mads let out a sigh. He looked over the Merc and noticed that a bullet had hit his thigh. _Alright, let's do this the hard way._ Mads thought as he grabbed his leg and pushed his thumb into the open wound. The Merc screamed in pain.

"Did that brighten up your memory?"

"Fuck! Shit, alright! All I know is that some crazy warlord is trying to create some sort of Krogan army. They are all batshit crazy though. All his clones have become target practice for all the new recruits."

"And that's all you know?"

"Yeah."

Mads pushed his thumb into the wound once again.

"I SWEAR IT'S ALL I KNOW!"

"Thank you for your cooperation." The Merc dropped to the ground. Mads walked a few feet away and dropped some medi-gel on the ground. "Come on man!" The merc cried out.

"That was cold!" Garrus remarked as they pushed on.

"Don't tell me he didn't deserve it. I showed him more mercy than most pirate-hunters would." Mads replied.

"I suppose you are right:" Garrus said.

Just around the corner, there were more mercs there to greet them. Garrus landed several headshots with his sniper; Zaeed provided cover fire with his rifle. They made short work of them, and they didn't have much time to waste. As they pressed on, they saw several dead Krogan on the ground; it seemed that Dr. Okeer really was trying to build some sort of army.

This location seemed to be a ship graveyard, what a fitting place to bury some mercs. Whoever was on the speakers, seemed to have the money to create her own grand armee. The team was at a slight disadvantage, the mercs had the high ground. Yet, they stood victorious with each encounter.

As they moved on, they finally found some live Krogans. It seemed that the old saying: ' _The enemy of my enemy is my friend'_ was alive and well with this Krogan. While the Krogan soaked up the damage, Garrus, Zaeed and Mads laid down heavy fire on the mercs. It was a match made in heaven; the Blue suns were quickly overwhelmed and defeated.

They had a chance to speak with the Krogan once the blue suns were cleared. After a short conversation, it was easy to conclude that it was indeed a tank-grown Krogan. No more than a few days old. All its memories were printed into its brain, and it knew only to kill. It was kind of sad to be honest; it had no other purpose in life.

At least it was kind, to some degree. It cleared the debris stopping them from proceeding. And so, they were on their way. As they moved on, it would appear that, he was in fact the only friendly Krogan clone to have been made. The others? Not so much.

An almost never-ending fight was underway. Okeer kept pumping out Krogan, and Jedore(That was apparently her name) kept finding new meatheads to fill the gaps. She would never keep her own perfect army if she kept up this strategy.

Many bullets later, they found themselves almost at Okeer's doorstep, but they had to pass through a small lab first. And then, an Asari popped out from behind the desk. Look and behold, it was none other than that Asari bitch from Virmire, the one Mads' let go.

 _Should have known she would have survived and taken up her practice somewhere else..._

"Captain Romanov? Never thought I would be glad to see you again." She greeted.

"You actual piece of garbage, I should kill you for wasting the second chance I gave you." Mads replied with a harsh voice as he pointed his finger at her. He stepped forward, forcing her backwards.

"What do you mean? I'm trying to do some good here! Okeer's methods may be... Radical. But it is for the greater good!"

"The nerve of you." Mads had now completely forced her into a corner. She grew even more nervous.

Mads thought long and hard about his next action. In the end, he decided: "Get the fuck out of here." He ordered. She mumbled something under her breath as she left. Mads didn't care. At least she had unlocked the way forward.

"That will bite you in the ass someday." Zaeed commented as they went up the stairs.

"Yeah, so much for trying to do the right thing." Mads replied.

The way towards the final lab was not filled with hostiles. So it was some, much deserved, breathing room for them. They saw Okeer as soon as they entered the lab. Okeer was standing by a cloning-tank, which was currently occupied by his newest creation of horror.

As the came closer, Okeer was the one to speak up. "Took you long enough! These batteries won't last forever, and you endless struggle with the mercs are eating up precious time I can't afford!"

"Take it easy... Shitface. I assume you are 'Dr.' Okeer?" Mads asked.

"You should take it easy. You aren't here to help; you are probably here to do the same thing you did on Virmire."

"That little bitch." Mads muttered to himself. Of course Rena had gone and told this big meatloaf about Virmire.

"I did what I had to do. You won't get any apology from me." Mads defended himself.

"Such a tale. Right out of a novel: A brave newly appointed Spectre stops a ruthless rouge Spectre from unleashing a horde of Krogan upon the galaxy. In the nick of time, you stop the whole program with nuclear fire, I like that part."

"And I approve of your actions; the Krogan would have been mindless slaves to Saren. A fate I wouldn't like for my people. Numbers count for nothing, when the enemy has more bullets than you have troops. The simple-minded mercs couldn't understand that. It's high time to get out of here."

"We don't care too much about that. We are going after the collectors." Garrus jumped in and said.

"Ahhh, the collectors. I have noticed their increase in attacks, not really my concern. I have dealt with them in the past. I have created the perfect soldier, one that ignore the effects of the genophage." Okeer explained

"Yeah yeah, look, will you join us or not?" Mads asked.

"I can give you vital information, but my subject is mine, and mine alone. No one shall touch it."

Then, just as the pleasant exchange seemed to be going ever so well. Jedore jumped in and ordered the chambers to be filled with gas. And so, time became even more precious.

"Romanov. You want information? You go kill her and turn off the gas."

"Understood."

"Let's go get the uhhh... Motivational speaker and shut her up." Mads ordered. His two team mates were right behind him.

Then, it was a fight once more. She and her entire krogan force were after them. The team almost didn't need orders; they need their way around a battlefield. If the army she already had wasn't enough, a mech was brought in to cheer up the day.

"Garrus, Zaeed! Unload on that mech! I'll deal with the bitch." Mads ordered.

"Right away!" Garrus replied as he began to unload on the massive Mech. This brought some time for Mads, hopefully enough to take down Jedore. She was damn good at hiding behind cover. She only popped out once she really needed to. Krogan that kept coming out of the tanks weren't much of a stress reliever either.

Mads loaded a new magazine into his AK. He made sure not to throw away the old one, they were quite costly after all. Then came his opportunity, Jedore made a run for some cover that was located better. In her sprint, Mads landed a shot in her left shoulder; she fell to the ground, and then began crawling her way into cover.

 _Got ya._

The mech finally came down. And so Garrus and Zaeed went to work on the remaining Krogan. Mads used this opportunity to finish off Jedore. He saw the blood trail on the ground and decided equip his 44. Magnum.

She tried desperately to load a new clip into her rifle, but with only one arm operational, it was not the easiest thing to do. As he approached her, she called out.

"Wait! I can offer you a job! A huge paycheck!"

"You should save that for your funeral." Mads replied as he shot her in the head. Clean, one shot. She was dead.

And so, things went quiet. They hurried back into the lab, only to find Dr. Okeer dead. The gas must have gotten to him, he was kind enough to leave a message. He told them, that they needed to take care of his legacy. The Grunt, as he called it. He didn't really have any information to share about the collectors.

"It seems this Krogan just got a lucky spot on the Normandy." Mads said as he studied the subject.

"Are you sure?" Garrus asked concerned.

"We'll decide what to do with it, once we are back on the Normandy."

And so, they called for the Normandy. The day had been, well... colorful to say the least.

* * *

 **Translation time!**

" **гребаный идиот"= "Fucking idiot"**

 **That's all for now folks! See y'all next time!**


	35. Chapter 34: Prison life

**The story just surpassed 30.000 views! Thank you so much guys! You are awesome!**

 **I promise to go through most of the chapters and re-write them, in order to get rid of grammar issues and other mishaps.**

 **Kind Regards**

 **KanisRussell**

* * *

 **3/7 2185**

 **Normandy SR-2**

The decision to take a tank-grown Krogan on board did not sit well with either Miranda or Jacob. They had spent close to 30 minutes discussing what to do with it. They were currently inside the comm room, where they normally would hold these types of meetings.

"We can't trust him! He'll bring death and destruction upon this vessel! I will not stand for that." Taylor proclaimed.

"I think he should be transferred to a Cerberus facility, let them uncover the mysteries of this _perfect_ Krogan."

Mads, who up until this point had stayed quiet and simply smoked his cigarette, jumped in.

"Thank you, for both of your suggestions. I'll decide what to do later tonight."

"But-" Miranda tried to argue.

"No buts. I'm in charge, and I'll take the decision. You are both dismissed" Mads ordered. Jacob saluted and Miranda went out of the room looking pissed as usual. Mads pressed his cigarette into the ashtray and promptly went out of the room.

He headed straight down for the room where the tank with the Krogan inside had been settled. Then, he spent the next 10 minutes walking around the room thinking about his next action.

"A Krogan…. Of what use are you?" Mads asked. He knew that the Krogan inside couldn't hear him, nor that anyone could hear him, but he continued the one-sided conversation anyhow.

"You have been dubbed ' _perfect_ '. But just how perfect are you? What horrors reside within? What did Okeer print unto you?" He looked into the eyes of the non-responsive Krogan.

"Are you an ally? Or a foe?"

For some reason or another, he awaited a response. After a few moments, he realized it wouldn't come.

"No matter. Nothing a 44. Bullet can solve."

"Edi. Prepare to release him." Mads ordered.

"Yes Captain." Edi replied as the process began. Slowly, the tank was drained of water, and then it opened. The Krogan landed on the metal floor with a bang. He soon came to life, coughing up the liquid from the tank. Mads waited patiently for the Krogan to rise up.

And rise up he did. He grabbed Mads and slammed him into the wall like he was nothing. This Krogan was certainly strong, but that was true of most Krogans.

"Name" It demanded.

"What-" Mads faked a grasp for air in order to equip his gun without the Krogan noticing. "-do you mean?"

"I need a name."

"How about... Shitlord?"

"Funny. Okeer didn't print a name." The Krogan stopped to think about it. "Grunt!" He concluded. "A fitting name, strong and short."

"Alright... Grunt. Here is the deal, you work for me and help me take down the collectors, and I can offer you a place in this galaxy." Mads offered.

"Are you strong? I won't follow a weakling." Grunt asked.

"Strong enough to fool you." Mads said as he pressed the gun against the stomach of the Krogan.

"Hah, I like your way of solving problems. What is your name?"

"Captain Mads Romanov."

"If I ever get my own clan, I would be honored to fight against you."

"Good to know, are we clear?" Mads asked. Grunt took his arms off Mads, allowing him free movement once again.

"Don't try and fool me again, Captain." Grunt ordered.

"I'm sorry, was that an order?" Mads asked back.

"Yeah, I won't tolerate it."

Mads fired up his biotics and took down Grunt before he even realized what was going on. "You do as told. Understood?"

"Yeah." The Krogan replied as he got up.

"Good, then we won't have any problems." Mads remarked.

Mads left the room.

* * *

 **Later that night.**

"So... What do you think?" Garrus asked. He had spent the last 10 minutes going through each and every upgrade he had made on his sniper rifle.

"Are you okay with constructive criticism?" Mads asked back.

"Yeah! Of course I am. What do you have in mind?"

"It fucking sucks."

"That's not constructive criticism!" Garrus fired back.

"Look... This entire rifle looks like a dildo. Your scope is only set to... what? 150 yards? Your placement for the thermal clip is less than practical. And not to mention your trigger, do you see what is wrong with it?" Mads asked.

"...It's the stock version..." Garrus mumbled defeated.

"Exactly! The only thing this rifle is good for is getting you, or us, killed." Mads concluded.

"Come on! It's not _that_ bad!"

"If you insist on using this thing, then go ahead. But I'm pretty sure you will conclude the same as I."

"You're a real son of a bitch, you know that right?"

"Of course."

"So, what is next recruitment?"

"Someone named Jack. Need to pick 'em up from an intergalactic prison. Cerberus sure knows how to pick them...:"

"We are going to be a real multicultural vessel once we are done."

"Quite so, won't be there until a few days. A Turian prison ship I hear."

"Hmmm, should be interesting, I'll be ready."

"And do something about that dumb rifle."

Garrus just mocked Mads' accent as he left.

* * *

 **5/7 2185**

Mads, Garrus and Kasumi stepped onto the Turian prison ship _Purgatory._ Mads had read about them: Prisons run by people who were not afraid of doing what government couldn't. The took prisoners for money. A terrible shame that it had come to this.

They were greeted by several armed guards. The situation remained tense, a guard called out to them.

"Welcome to Purgatory, we ask that you surrender your weapons for safe-keeping."

"How about... No!"

The guards raised their weapons; they were ready to take them by force.

"Hold your fire." Their leader came to light from behind their lines. Must be the bloke who runs the place.

"I'm Warden Kuril. It is standard procedure for visitors and buyers to turn over their weapons. They will be returned once we are done." Kuril explained

"No deal. I need insurance, and this here Magnum gives me the best one I can get." Mads replied

Then things became tense again. It was clear that Kuril was thinking about what to do next, Mads kept his hand on his holster. Mads' hand tighten around the grip of the gun as things became more and more tense, finally, the silence was broken.

"Fine, you can keep your guns. Follow me." Kuril ordered. Mads made a gesture for his team to move out.

They moved through the corridors of the vessel. Kuril was eager to tell of his little business. Then, Kuril stopped. "Subject zero, or Jack, is just up ahead. As soon as the money is transferred, you will be free to go with your prisoner."

"Thanks." Mads replied.

They kept on moving, until Mads heard a familiar voice call out. "Captain Romanov! I thought you were dead!" Mads turned around to see the voice came from a cell.

"Conrad Rorke, what a pleasant surprise to find you in here. A lot of things can happen over a period of 2 years" Mads replied.

Conrad Tiberius Rorke, the former commander that lead the attack on Torfan. His brutal actions lead to be him being discharged after a short trial. The effects of his actions were the only thing saving him from a prison sentence. He still looked the same, although a bit rougher. His bald head and the scar across his right eye was always his signature.

"Is that so? Back from the dead, I sure hope hell was comfortable. Where is that back-stabbing nephew of yours?" Conrad asked. Referring to Joseph, who had sealed the deal in kicking Conrad out of the alliance.

"Gone I'm afraid. And don't worry, you'll see hell for yourself soon enough."

"Gone as in dead?"

"As in gone to another fucking galaxy. You won't get your revenge."

"That's too bad. I was looking forward to skinning him."

"You'll have to do with me, if you ever get out of here."

"Ohh I will. I'll be out here soon enough, I got a whole gang working for me. You watch your back, Romanov."

"Yeah. Try not to drop the soap." Mads remarked as a final note before moving on.

They moved through the metal corridors of the ship, the windows showing each and every cell block. Hundreds of prisoners must have been stored there. Whoever these guards were, they took their job seriously, perhaps a bit too much. They took the hammer to the prisoners if need be.

Compassion? There was no room for such a thing in this part of the galaxy. You did something wrong, and you were sure to find yourself on the wrong side of a knife.

As they walked, things began to clear up for Mads. He realized something was off, it was too easy. There was an agenda, he could feel it. "Jack is right down there." A guard told them as they entered a room.

They saw the cell he was referring to, and began to approach it. Then, a gut feeling hit Mads. _Don't enter the room._ And so he stopped, right in the middle of the room, Garrus and Kasumi looked back at him. "What is it?" Garrus asked.

"It's a set up." Mads replied.

Then the speakers came on. The voice of the Warden called out to them: "It's nothing personal, Mr. Romanov. You are simply way too valuable to let go. Please step into the cell, leave your guns at the door." Kuril ordered.

"You motherless back-stabbing piece of shit. You think I'm going in that easy? Well fuck you!" Mads cried out.

"Please don't make this any harder than it needs to be." Kuril replied.

"трахать тебя!" Mads drew his gun and killed the guard that tried to force them into the cell. "Let's go get Jack!" Mads ordered.

"Righto!" Garrus said as he equipped his sniper.

"Right behind you." Kasumi remarked as she drew her submachine gun.

The guards were nothing special, Blue Suns, nothing they hadn't encountered before. They took the fight to the corridors.

Mads equipped his AA-12. _Time for you to shine baby._ The tight space provided the perfect work environment for a fully automatic shotgun. All guards dumb enough to face him, got a perfect view of their own guts before death.

It didn't take long before they found the Cryo freeze tank that contained Jack, or subject zero. The controls were easy to work, and soon the tank opened. Mads was surprised to learn, that Jack was in fact a female. Her tattoos even rivaled his. As soon as she was awake, she began to fight her way out of her restrains. Those three giant Mechs? No problem taking them out with only her biotics. And then blowing a big goddamn hole on the wall.

And... her sudden escape had given everyone else in this hell hole the same chance. Now, it was truly a prison riot. They quickly set after her, who knows what kind of damage she could cause to others, and herself.

Kuril knew, and he ordered his guards to suppress the uprising, but wanted Jack alive. She was worth more than a pretty penny. Life support failed in certain areas of the ship, killing everyone in that sector.

Such is life on a vessel. Mads could only hope that Conrad was along the dead. The trail lead them to a big courtyard, where fighting between guards and prisoners was on-going. It made it a little easier for the team, considering it was almost a free-for-all. Besides having a private army, Kuril sported several YMIR Mechs. It made it a little harder to proceed.

The guards showed no mercy in taking care of their prisoners. A quick death was all the prisoners could hope for, not that Mads really cared, they all had done terrible shit to get themselves in there in the first place.

Then, they finally came face-to-face with the Warden himself, once again. He had some fancy junk that gave his shield a powerful boost. It was powered by generators. "Damn you Romanov! The money I could have made on you was enough to keep me going for a long time! Now look at what you have done!"

"Fuck you! Your little pirate operation ends here you cunt!" Mads yelled back.

"No matter, your death will put me on the map for years to come! I'll just have to make back the money on Jack."

Mads had enough of that prick. He ordered his team to cover him as he shot down the power source for his shields. They were ill-protected, a single shot from the AK and they were history. Slowly, the warden became less and less powerful, and he realized that.

In a last attempt to kill Mads, he stormed him. But just as Kuril peaked around the corner, he stared directly into the barrel of Mads' gun. "Oh shi-" Was all Kuril managed to say before the bullet entered his skull and killed him. His dead body dropped onto the floor. "Prick" Mads commented as he got back on his feet.

"Let's go get Jack." Mads ordered.

Jack was already well on her way out of there. She managed to finish the last guards, before noticing the Cerberus vessel parked right outside. She began to grow furious. She went around in circle, vocalizing her anger. She didn't realize a guard was sneaking up on her, until a loud shot killed the guard.

She turned her attention to the source, and made eye contact with Mads. "What the fuck do you want?" She asked.

"I'm Captain Romanov, this is my team members Garrus Vakarian and Kasumi Goto. We are here with a very special offer for you" Mads explained.

"To hell with you! I'm not joining Cerberus." She replied.

"And why is that?"

"They have cost me a lot in the past, I'm not about to forgive."

"That's too bad; you are welcome to stay here, with no way out." Mads offered.

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck me? Fuck you! I come here, get your ass out of Cryo and offer you salvation. Yet you spit in my face!"

"If I am to join your crew, I need all the information Cerberus got on me AND a huge sum of money."

"How about this: You play along, be a nice girl and follow orders and don't pick fights, then I'll give you whatever data you want, and a nice paycheck. Sound fair?"

"I can live with that."

"Good, now let's get the hell out of here."

* * *

 **A little while later**

"Welcome to the Normandy, Jack. I'm Miranda, Romanov's second in command. On this ship we follow orders." Miranda explained. Mads, Miranda and Jack were currently standing in the comm room.

"I'm here for my data. Romanov, tell her to back off." Jack replied.

"Remember our deal, Jack?" Mads asked while taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Yeah." She mumbled.

"You play along, and I'll give you the data soon enough." Mads remarked.

"I'll be in the bottom, I don't like foot traffic." Jack said as she left the room.

"Nice job, Romanov. Not a lot of people can put someone like her in order."

"Only time will tell if she honors the deal. For now, keep a close eye on her. I don't want any trouble." Mads ordered.

"Understood, Captain." Miranda replied.

"If you need me, I'll be in my quarters." Mads said as he left the room.

"Yes sir."

* * *

Precision

That can be the difference between failure and success. One tiny detail can mean everything, that's why one must always proceed with caution and be vigilant. Always keep one's eye open; otherwise, one might be left with a broken product.

Building model ships had been a great hobby in the past for Mads. Chakwas had suggested a small hobby to keep his anger down, so he had brought a couple of models on the Citadel during their last visit there.

There it was, the final product, all put together. Mads leaned back into his office chair and looked at the thing he had created with satisfaction. _Marvelous!_ He thought as he studied the model of the old Normandy.

But, just then did he notice a small error. A piece was sitting slightly wrong, the normal eye wouldn't have seen it, but he knew the Normandy in and out. He had fucked it up.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Mads yelled as he rose from his chair. "FUCK!" He took a moment to calm down. He breathed, making him relax a bit. "Edi." Mads called out.

"Yes Captain?" The AI asked.

"Update my to-do list: Kill the cocksucker who designed this piece of shit model." Mads ordered.

"Priority?" Edi asked back.

"Highest."

"Certainly."

Mads sat back down in the chair. Now he began disassembling the model in order to fix his mistake. It took him at least another 20 minutes, but in the end. It was perfect. He placed the model with caution in his glass display. _Excellent._

* * *

Edi had actually updated the to-do list, the Yeoman and some of the team couldn't stop laughing at the absurd mission the captain had placed there. They knew he wouldn't go through with it, but that didn't make it any less amusing.

* * *

 **Translation time!**

" **трахать тебя!"= "Fuck you!"**


	36. Chapter 35: Horizon

**Hey pals!**

 **As some of you may have noticed, the picture for the story has been updated. I took it upon myself to commission an artist to draw Mads Romanov for me. The artist did a great job! It is however, not the full picture. If you are interested, you can find the full version on my deviantart (KanisRussell) or search for Mads Romanov on deviantart.**

 **We move closer towards the romance part of the story. I'm well aware that it has been slow... sorry... _extremely_ slow. But good times ahead! **

**Kind regards**

 **KanisRussell**

* * *

 **5/7 2185**

 **Turian prison ship _Purgatory_**

A chance came, an opportunity, and Conrad was never one to pass up an opportunity. The freeing of one prisoner had set of a chain-reaction. Everyone was now free; the doors that had held them back for so long was now opened.

And in that moment, it became clear to Conrad who had started the chain-reaction. _Mads Romanov_. He wished to kill him, for all that he has done. But... He came Conrad the chance to be free once more, even if it was not intentional. He would spare him... For now.

There was more pressing matter to attend to. Many believed the Blue Suns to be the best mercenary group out there, this is also why they were hired as security on this vessel. But Conrad knew the truth. They were weak and undisciplined. Their leader, Vido Santiago, was weak and corrupted by greed. He chose to hire _Batarians…._

Conrad lost his entire family to those vile creatures. And therefore he had no problem snapping the neck of a Batarian guard in order to seize the opportunity. It was a better fate than the Batarian deserved, but Conrad needed to make sure the uniform was intact, so that he could escape the station.

He knew how they operated, so no one looked twice. He realized that Mads, and subject Zero had left the station. In their escape, they left a path of destruction. The station was doomed, everyone could see that. Now, it was about survival, something Conrad was very good at.

In the end, he found a small escape pod that could get him out. Once again, he never passed up a chance when he got it. He set a course for Omega, there was a special person waiting for him there. Not many people knew it, but he and Aria had a small affair going... well it was more than an affair, but neither side would ever admit to that.

* * *

 **7/7 2185**

 **FP _Glory_ , 'Outer Heaven' vessel **

The fight against Cerberus was a never ending one. There was always a new target, always another crime against the galaxy that needed to be corrected. The attacks against human colonies was a good example, there were many different explanations to it. Pirates, Slavers and so on. But Outer Heaven believed it to be Cerberus; it made a lot more sense.

So when the rumor that Cerberus would attack the human colony of Horizon, Outer Heaven was quick to fly there. William Sheridan was going to expose the plot, show Cerberus as the real threat to not just Humanity, but the Galaxy as a whole.

They flew there with a cover story, an excuse to be there. The alliance personal stationed there was skeptical, especially that Staff Commander... what was his name? Kaiden or something like that. Not that it mattered, they were cleared. They would watch and observe.

* * *

 **9/7 2185**

 **Normandy SR-2**

Mads sitting down in his quarters. Kelly was currently giving him a haircut. "Remember, short in the sides; leave a little to work with on the top." Mads ordered.

"Of course!" She replied as she began to work. His hair had grown quite a bit, as had his beard. He decided to keep the beard for now.

Kelly noticed the large scar on the right side of his head. Now she had the time to study it. It was a bullet wound, that much she could tell. It was long, but well healed. As far as she could see, he had always had it. Information of the captain was vague at best. Cerberus and Alliance top leaders were the only one to really know about it.

"Chakwas can make that scar go away, if you want." Kelly suggested as she continued her work on him.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I like to keep it. It's a... Reminder." Mads replied.

"Of what?" She asked, trying to dig a little.

"I'll like to keep that personal, if you don't mind." Mads answered.

"Of course." She ceased her questioning and went on with her work. Then, out of nowhere, her omni-tool beeped, telling her she had a message. She was startled by the sudden noise, so she accidentally cut Mads by the left side of his skull. It was a small wound. But Mads grabbed her by the wrist in that very moment, making her drop the scissors on the ground. She yelped as she realized what was going on.

He had a firm grip on her hand. "Are you trying to kill me?" He joked, but in the moment it was hard for her to understand that it was a joke.

"Of course not! I'm so _sorry_!" She replied with, very real, sadness in her voice.

He let go of her hand. "Well... See what the message is." Mads ordered.

She did as much, and quickly discovered it was from the Illusive man. He had ordered Mads down to the comm room and with haste. She was supposed to tell Mads that. "The Illusive man wishes for you to speak with him down in the comm room." She said.

"Really? Guess I better go then" Mads replied as he stood up. He looked at himself the mirror. Despite the small injury, Kelly had done a fine job. "Thanks for the haircut." Mads said.

"You're welcome." She replied.

Mads went down to the comm room as fast as he could. He wondered what the Cerberus leader had in store for him. He didn't have to wait long to find out. Once again, the illusive man was seating. Smoking and drinking, while his unnatural eyes stared at him.

"There is news, Romanov. We believe it to be collectors." The Illusive man stated

"How come?" Mads asked.

"One of our colonies, Horizon, just went dark. If it isn't under attack, it soon will be. What is the status on the Dr. Mordin's counter measure for the Seeker Swarms?" The Illusive man asked back.

"I'm afraid it is not finished yet..." Mads replied.

"Then we must hope we can get it done in record time." The Illusive man commented.

"I have faith in Dr. Mordin." Mads replied.

"There is another issue we need to discuss. Your former crew member, Kaiden Alenko, has been posted to Horizon."

"Kaiden? He is alliance, why would he be posted to the Terminus system?" Mads asked confused.

"I'm not sure, officially it's an outreach program, but I believe that something isn't right. If the sent Alenko, it could be serious." The Illusive man explained.

"Then there is no time to waste. We'll head for Horizon right away."

"Good, this is the most warning we ever had. Be careful."

"Don't worry about me."

The call ended, Mads wasted no time to getting to the Lab, where Mordin was doing his thing. He was already hard at work, when Mads ran in. "Mordin! Please tell me you got something against seeker swarms."

All Mordin did was nod his head, with a smug smile. He showed Mads what he had cooked up. They were ready, now it was time for war.

* * *

 **9/7 2185**

 **Horizon.**

Tension and distrust between the Alliance and the terminus colonies was only a minor issue on paper. But in reality, it was a real challenge. Kaiden knew that, ever since stepping foot on the colony, he had been the scapegoat for everything that went wrong, even when the alliance tried to help them.

Kaiden had come there to defend the colony, rumors were spreading like wildfire that it was the next target. It was, however, a tightly held secret for now. It was only branded as an outreach program. Strange things was happening, the defense towers didn't seem to work, a strange vessel had landed on the colony with some even stranger people on it.

It had started out as a clear summer day, the birds were chipping. Then, the sun became black. A ship blocked the view. A huge ship, unlike anything Kaiden had ever seen before, and he had seen a lot of shit. He used his rifle to get a better look at the ship, and soon he realized it wasn't good.

"Get everyone underground, right now!" He ordered. The colonists hesitated at first, but as the saw the danger first hand, they quickly picked up the pace.

Kaiden tried his hardest, he really did. But the bullets from his rifle simply didn't do a good job against the swarms. Soon, it was even too late for him. A bug bit him, it stings like hell. Then, he couldn't move, frozen in place as he could only watch in horror as the same treatment was applied to everyone else.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!_

* * *

 **9/7 2185**

 **Normandy shuttle**

Steeping out of the shuttle, it was clear that the colony was used for farming. Not a note-worthy colony, expect for a single detail: The giant ship that had docked in the middle of the colony. It looked odd, almost like a rock or something like that. Mads had brought all his team members with him, the fight might get tough. Mordin was almost certain that the counter measure would work, but he needed to do a field-test.

Oh boy... would he get a field test. It was their first time fighting the collectors, and they were a dangerous foe. They were smart, fast and tough. They didn't buckle as easy under from the heavy caliber weapons Mads carried as other species, but they were mortal. That was all that ever mattered. What was the saying? _If it bleeds, you can kill it._ That seemed fitting.

Mads made sure to spread out the team, so that they could flank the enemy. It didn't take long before they lost signal with the Normandy, so they were really on their own. That didn't matter, they were professionals... Or they could _at least_ pass for professionals.

The enemies flew in, making them almost a never ending horde. Once you had killed a couple, you could understand their weakness. They also used husks, but they were almost unworthy of being mentioned. They fell as easily as they did 2 years ago. Garrus and Mads made for a good team, they knew how each other operated, the others did fine as well.

They came across several colonists that were frozen in place. They were... conscious, able to see everything happening around them, yet unable to do anything. What a horrible fate. As they pressed on, they came across a collector that was tougher than the rest of them: faster, better and superior in every way. It spoke to them in a deep voice.

Yet it was as mortal as the rest of them, unable to stop them, able only slow them down. Mads managed to secure one of their weapons, it could be studied and used against them... Hopefully. They came to a building, one that was locked tight. It had to be hacked.

"Garrus, get it open." Mads ordered.

"Right away." Garrus replied as he went to work.

Mads changed his mag. The barrel was already steaming hot. It had been fired a lot of times today. Mads might just have to make another purchase from Sergei to keep up the war. This was probably only the first of many battles. Garrus had the door opened in record time, and they stormed in, but not before checking every corner.

The noise was what gave him away. If he tried to hide, he was doing a damn poor job of it. "Show yourself, now!" Mads ordered.

The man appeared from behind one of the giant boxes in the room. He slowly made his way towards them, when he realized they were human. "You're... You're humans! What are you doing? You just blew my hiding spot!" He proclaimed and ranted.

"Didn't you hear the knocking? They knew you were here, and it was only a matter of time before the cracked the code and took you. Collectors are a hard foe to hide from" Mads replied.

"Wait... They are collectors? I thought that was just alliance propaganda... To keep us in alliance space."

"Yeah? Well they are real enough. What's your name?"

"I¨m Dalan, a Mechanic. I was doing repairing work down here, and then I heard screaming... And I saw everything, and I sealed the door... Ohh God, they got Lilith!" He remembered.

"It's the alliance's fault! That damn Kaiden Alenko and his project made us a target!" Dalan ranted.

"Hmmmm... yes... Never your fault, is it? Where is Kaiden now?" Mads asked.

"I don't know..."

"Where is the calibrating system located then?"

"There is a transmitter on the other side of the colony, it's at the base."

"Good. Now stay down and lock yourself in." Mads ordered.

"Okay..." He replied.

The defense tower could be the key. If they could get it to fire on the ship, the collectors would withdraw as fast as they could. But now, it was a race against time (Like so many other times). The collectors were already busy loading up as many colonists as possible.

A battleground presented itself, so many possibilities. They spread out, each taking their own route and doing a good job at the same time. Mads shot a collector in its leg, and while it was still on the ground, he smashed its head in with his boot. There was a lot of brutal killing going on. After a lengthy battle, they got a small breathing room, just enough to establish communication with the Normandy.

"Joker! Are you there?" Mads asked through his ear piece.

"Yes, I'm here captain! Signal is a little weak, what are your orders?" Joker asked back.

"I need those towers online, and I need them online as soon as possible! Edi, is that possible?" Mads asked.

"Yes, but it will take a little while for them to power up."

"Do it!" Mads ordered.

They slowly began to power up, gaining more and more power. "Let's get ready." Mads ordered. The team slowly found the best spots to hold out while it powered up. The collectors would be sure to try and take it down.

And they did. Oh boy did they try. They threw everything at them, new and old enemies alike. They came in waves, offering very little breathing time. Nonstop fighting for so long. They team worked hard to achieve their goal of defending the tower. One of the collectors pinned Garrus to the ground, he managed to kill it, but it was replaced by a Husk that almost seemed like it was going to eat him. Mads ran to his aid and stabbed the Husk in the skull with his knife. Its dried blood fell upon Garrus as Mads removed the knife.

That was also the end of the fight; Mads helped Garrus up as the Towers began to open fire on the ship. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Like they thought, the fire forced the ship to abandon its mission and set its wings for the dark galaxy. As they watched the ship take off, Dalan came running. "Don't let them get away!" He yelled as he dropped to his knees.

"I'm sorry. There is nothing we can do." Mads tried to calm him down, it didn't go very well.

"Half the colony is gone! Everyone I know!" He argued.

"I know! We'll free them at some point." Mads fired back.

"You did well, Romanov. There is nothing more we can do." Garrus said as he padded Mads on the back.

"Romanov? Aren't you some alliance hero or something?"

"Captain Romanov." Kaiden corrected as he appeared from behind cover. "The first human Spectre, the man who saved the council and the citadel and stopped Saren. You are speaking to legend, Dalan. And a ghost as well."

"Of course you survived, I should have known. Fuck the both of you! I'm done with the alliance." Dalan remarked as he left.

"I thought you were dead, Captain." Kaiden said as he closed the distance between Mads and him. He went in for a handshake, but Mads grabbed the back of Kaiden's head and brought him closer till their foreheads touched.

"Kaiden... My brother. It is so good to see you again. How have you been?" Mads replied with closed eyes.

"How can you be so casual about this?" Kaiden said as he broke away from Mads. "You act like you never were dead…. Like you never left us! I would have been behind you every step of the way!"

"Kaiden! I was dead! Gone! You understand? I only just came back. Cerberus brought me back"

"Ohh... I see, you switched sides, huh? Garrus too... So the reports really were right..."

"Reports? You already knew?" Garrus jumped in and asked.

"There was a tip this colony was the next to be hit and that Cerberus would be behind it. Rumors were that you-" Kaiden pointed to Mads "-Was alive and working for them."

"The collectors are stealing humans and paralyzing human colonies! I can see _that_! _You_ can see _that_! Say what you want about me, Kaiden. But I chose to act, and God forgive for siding with the one group that gave a shit." Mads replied.

"You can't believe that! We both saw what Cerberus did! I prayed to God that you were alive... But I never expected this from _you_..."

"Don't you call me a traitor! We are brothers! And you do this to me? You saw what was going on here, yet you seem so blind! You know I am doing this to protect the galaxy!"

"I really want to believe you. But what if Cerberus is playing you for a fool, using the reapers to mislead you?"

"Funny, I heard the same thing come out of a Turian councilor's mouth 2 years ago. You are too worked up, you are ignoring the facts here."

"Maybe.. Or maybe you are the one who is blinded. You probably believe you owe Cerberus. You are someone different. I got to report back, they will decide how truthful your story is." Kaiden began to walk away.

"KAIDEN! DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY FROM ME!" Mads yelled at him. Garrus had to hold Mads back, so he didn't go running after him. Kaiden didn't say a word as he left.

"Let him go." Garrus said to Mads. After a few more moments, Mads calmed down and fell to his knees. "KAIDEN!" he yelled into the sky. The thought of losing such a dear friend was hard on him. After a few more moment, Mads got up. "Joker. Get the Normandy to pick us up." He ordered.

As they awaited the shuttle to come, someone cleared their throat. Mads looked around to see who it was. And he was quite surprised.

"Captain Romanov." William Sheridan greeted.

"William." Mads acknowledged.

"I wanted to apologize for my words on Omega. It seems Cerberus is not behind these attacks." William said.

"Yeah, glad you were enlightened." Mads replied mockingly.

"I want to propose a cease-fire. We both need to focus on the bigger threat here. We will cease our attacks on Cerberus, for the time being."

Mads thought about it for a little while, until he finally agreed. "Fine, we can honor that." He said. The two shook hands. For now it was only a verbal agreement, so who knows how long it would last, and who would break it.

"Great. I will see you around, Captain Romanov." William said as he went back to his ship. Right on que, their shuttle arrived, taking them off the Colony.

* * *

Mads spent a long time arguing back and forth with the Illusive man about what had happened that day. They simply didn't see eye-to-eye on many things, that much was certain. The Illusive man began to speak about the Omega 4 relay, that was where the Collectors lived, and that was where they were going. As soon as they had the right technology and the right people.

He also spoke about 3 more team members that were to be added. Mads was eager to see what he had cooked up for this round. One named jumped at him... It was Tali. Mads was overjoyed to see her name there. He didn't even waste time to plan a course for her location. He was going to get her back on his team, and he needed to speak with her, on a lot of things.


	37. Chapter 36: A timely rescue

_**11/7 2185**_

 **Normandy SR-2**

Mads quite liked the Engineer crew that had been chosen for the Normandy. Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels, both were talented beyond belief, even though Kenneth did have a loud mouth. None of them were as talented as Tali, that was simply a fact. But since she wasn't on the team yet, he had to make do. They were hesitant to speak with him at first, having nothing but bad experience with superiors. They had slowly warmed up to him, and had asked for a favor. They had asked for FBA Couplings to make their work easier.

Mads had not only brought the T6-FBA couplings, but he also helped the struggling Quarian, that sold them to him, to get off the rock known as Omega. They had been quite happy at the sight of the new tech given to them. They installed it in record time, and the whole thing gave them more free time. They suggested Mads should join in at a game of 'Skyllian-Five poker'. Mads had been hesitant, but after a little while, he suggested that they play regular Poker at his cabin later that night.

There was a bigger motive to playing in his cabin rather than down in Engineering. It wasn't because he didn't like it down there, or that he thought they were filthy. But because he was worried how they would react to Tali once she was on board. He had a very special position in mind for her, chief engineer. He wasn't sure how she would react to that position, or how they would react. He needed to make sure they understood.

* * *

Kenneth and Gabriella had never expected the Captain to actually agree to play poker with them, even if it was just the regular kind. They had certainly never expected to be invited up to the cabin, or the penthouse as some had begun to call it.

Gabriella had insisted that they should wear something a little more... well, fancy. It took some time to persuade Kenneth to put on something else than dirtied uniform he wore every day. He had finally come around to the idea.

They pressed the elevator button and waited for the doors to open. When they did, they walked in and pressed the button for the top. The elevator was slow, as always. But they got there in the end. They pressed the door bell and waited to be let in.

* * *

Mads had converted his table into a poker table, he had found some playing cards and some alcohol for the occasion. He heard the door bell and quickly went over to answer it. He opened the door and was surprised at how well dressed they were. He hadn't dressed himself in anything but his usual uniform. "Come in" He said with a smile.

They both stepped inside and were blown away at the cabin. It was marvelous in every way. They noticed the table in the middle of the room. "Go ahead and sit down." Mads suggested. They both did as much.

"Can I offer anything to drink" Mads asked as he opened his small fridge beneath the desk. "No thanks." Gabriella said with a smile, in her head, she spoke for the both of them. "I'll like a whiskey!" Kenneth said, with his usual Scottish accent, out of nowhere, and Gabriella looked angry at him.

"I got a Single malt Scotch, how does that sound?" Mads asked as he took two bottles out of the fridge and closed it with his foot.

Kenneth lit up when he heard that. He could already taste it. "That's damn fine!" He replied. Gabriella punched him on the arm to remind him he was speaking to the captain. Mads placed the whiskey in front of Kenneth with a glass. And brought the Vodka down to his side.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to drink?" Mads asked as he poured Vodka into his glass.

"Yes, I'm good." She replied, shifting slightly in her seat.

"Alright, if you change your mind, just let me know." Mads said as he took out his pack of cigarettes. "Want one?" He asked the both of them.

"No, I don't smoke." Gabriella replied, but Kenneth was quick to give a different answer. "Yeah!" Gabriella looked at him in confusion. "What has gotten into you today?" She asked.

"Let the man live. Just every now and then." Mads defended him. "Yeah!" He confirmed Mads' words. Gabriella accepted defeat and leaned back in her chair. Kenneth took a cigarette from the pack and placed it between his lips.

Mads took out his zippo lighter and gave fire to his own cigarette before giving it to Kenneth. He coughed a few times, it was clear that he wasn't a smoker. That was fine, and rational. Something Mads wasn't.

"You know the rules of Poker, right?" Mads asked as he began mixing the cards.

They both nodded their heads. After a little while, Mads began handing over cards to them and himself. He placed the stack of cards in the middle of the table. They began playing, watching each other closely.

"So, how is going down there?" Mads asked, referring to their work on the FBA Couplings.

"It's been wonderful. We can't thank you enough!" She replies with a smile as she checks her cards once more.

"You really did us a favor, Captain." Kenneth agreed.

"The Normandy needs to be at its best once we head through the Omega 4 relay. You guys have the talent; I just need to give you the tools." Mads remarked as he placed the last cards on the table. It was now time to show their cards.

Gabriella was the first to show, she had a pair. Two queens on her hand. Kenneth showed his hand, he had 2 pair, kings and jacks. Mads took a deep breath as he turned over his cards, revealing something remarkable. He had three of a kind, 3 aces. He smiled as he leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his Vodka.

"Damn!" Kenneth cursed.

"Jesus Christ, you are lucky, captain!" Gabriella remarked with a smiled, she took it more light heartily than Kenneth.

"Used to play a lot of Poker in my younger days." Mads explained as he gathered all the cards and began mixing them again.

"There is another thing I wanted to discuss." Mads said in a more serious tone. They both picked on the tone and began to listen carefully.

"We are currently heading to Haestrom. A former Quarian colony. We are there to pick up a new crew member. Her name is Tali'Zorah, and she is a Quarian. She is probably the most gifted engineer I have ever seen, and therefore I plan on making her Chief engineer once we have her on board. Do you have any objections to that?" Mads asked.

They remained silent for a little while. Mads feared that they may not be okay with it. "We will welcome her with open arms." Gabriella replied with a smile, finally breaking the silence. Kenneth quickly nodded his head in agreement.

"Great, it's just... She has been through a lot." Mads remarked.

"Don't worry. We will take care of her." Gabriella said.

"Good. If there is anything else you need, you let me know." Mads stated. "Now, let's get back to poker." Mads suggested, they both agreed.

They played for most of the evening. They had a good time, while Mads and Kenneth might have had a few drinks too many.

* * *

 **12/7 2185**

 **Haestrom.**

Everything had gone from bad to worse for Tali. She was trapped, pinned down by Geth. They had come to Haestrom for a very simple mission: Gather data on the dying star. It had been anything but simple. They were supposed to have been there without the Geth knowing, but instead it rained down with Geth.

She had been locked in the observatory by Kal'Reegar, an otherwise very capable marine. But even he was in over his head here, they all were. Now, she counted the seconds that went by. She was unable to send the data back to the fleet, and so she was locked down with no means of escaping or even completing her mission. This was, perhaps, the biggest defeat she had ever endured. She would die being a failure.

* * *

 **12/7 2185**

 **Normandy shuttle.**

Mads loaded in a new mag for his AK, and began to check that the sights were as accurate as possible. Once he was satisfied with his results, he looked over at the two teammates he brought along for today. Garrus and Grunt. Garrus was an old friend, both of Mads, but also for Tali. He figured it would be nice with a familiar face, even if it was the ugly face of Garrus. Grunt could be used as a tank; God knows how many Geth were down there.

"Alright, here is the plan." Mads said to get their attention. They both looked at him.

"Tali is down there somewhere, and it's our job to go get her. We will bring her back, safe and sound. And we shall take down any Geth that stand in our way." Mads ordered. They both nodded.

"Grunt, you take the lead. Garrus, you follow and give cover with sniper fire. Understood?" Mads asked.

"Quite so." Garrus said as he pumped a thermal clip in his sniper.

The shuttle landed, and they quickly ran out and behind cover. Edi gave the run-down of what they currently knew about the place. True to Edi's word, Geth was all over the place, and the sun was cooking them, quite literally. They had to stay in the shadows, otherwise they were doomed.

Grunt could withstand a lot of damage. He, like most Krogans, preferred to get up close and personal with their enemies. That's a warrior trait not really found so commonly in other species, therefore he was a very useful teammate.

Garrus was always a marksman, that was his trade, and he was damn good at it. He could make that sniper rifle dance, because his fingers knew just the right moves. He gave them cover fire where ever they went, and it was much needed.

They worked as a team, and that was the most important factor. Their combinded skills made them a deadly force, each of them was deadly on their own, but together they were almost unstoppable. Garrus and Mads knew how to fight Geth, but Grunt picked up quickly. It was true; he was the peak of Krogan evolution, a natural born killer.

They found traces of the Quarian team sent to the planet, mostly in the form of corpses. They had been butchered by Geth. Mads prayed to God that Tali was safe and sound, he didn't know how he would react if she was dead. The logs they had left behind made it sound like she was still alive.

Presented with a huge battleground, they were once again tested in warfare. Geth dropships kept on supplying new troops to the battle. Their weapons were on the verge of overheating, or at least Garrus' and Grunt's weapons were. Geth were easy to deal with, but they were still annoying. It wasn't all that funny to face them again.

They came across a few corpses of Quarian marines. A radio was trying to reach the dead team members. "OP-1, this is squad leader Kal'Reegar, is anyone there?" The voice asked. Mads picked up the walkie and turned it on.

"This Captain Romanov speaking. Where are you?" Mads asked, hoping his signal could get to the marine. He might have some answer to where Tali was.

"Please patch your radio into Channel 617 Theta. I'm afraid everything has come to shit. We were on a stealth mission, and even though we found what we came for, Geth overran us. We are pinned down, can't leave or send the data back home." He replied, although ignoring his question. Mads changed his radio to the channel provided by Kal'Reegar.

"Damn, where are you holding up?" Mads asked, hoping he would reply this time.

"We are bunkered down a base camp. I locked Tali'Zorah in a secure location. The base camp is just across the valley." He answered.

"Is she alive?" Mads asked, trying to not let concern dominate his voice.

"Indeed, I left my best men with her. We are sworn to protect her, tooth and nail." He answered, making Mads calm down.

"Stay safe, we will be there soon." Mads remarked.

"Can't promise that; just make sure Tali is safe." He requested.

"Will do." Mads replied. They pressed on.

After more lengthy fights, they came across a building they had to enter. It was blocked by a pillar of concrete. They had to blow it open; luckily they had some bombs lying around, free for the taking. Mads watched Tali's journal, and it gave her thoughts on everything. Mads couldn't claim to understand all of that science stuff, but her concerns were voiced in the recordings. Especially the last part of the journal: "I wish Romanov was here..."

 _Well... I'm here now Tali. And I'm going to get you out of here._

After fighting more of the Geth hordes, they planted the bombs. It blew open, sending concrete flying all over the place. Mads walked into the building, it had probably been used as their base. Everyone inside was dead. Such a terrible shame. As Mads was checking around the room, he saw a terminal on the far side of the room. It was active; Mads walked over to it, to see what was going on.

* * *

Tali had curled herself into a ball, crying into her own knees. She was lost, defeated and broken. She didn't know what to do expect pray for guidance from the ancestors. She feared what would happen, and she began listing all the things she regretted in her life. The list wasn't long, but at the top was something she always had regretted: Never telling her feelings to her Captain. Romanov had been nothing but kind to her, he had shown her so many things. She, on the other hand, wasted every chance she got. She could have told him before he died, and she could have told him when they met on Freedom's progress.

What she feared most, was his rejection. She wasn't sure how she would react to it. Her doubt kept telling her, that it was better to stay ignorant. But now, in what she thought to be her final moments, it was easy to see her mistakes in hindsight.

But then, something remarkable happened. A voice called out to her, a very special voice. One she knew… And loved.

"Hallo, are you there?" It asked. She jumped from her crying position and over to the Terminal where the voice came from.

"YES! I'm here!" She proclaimed with a very happy tone.

"Tali?" Mads asked, who could almost not believe his own eyes. There she was.

"Yes, it's me!" She said, so happy to see those ocean blue eyes looking back at her.

"So good to see you are safe. I have come to get you, but we can discuss that in detail later. Right now, I need to save you." Mads stated.

"I'm at the observatory... Is Kal'Reegar still alive?" Tali asked.

"Yes he is. I just need to find him. Don't worry; I'll save the both of you."

"Thank you..." She replied in a soft voice.

Mads cut the connection after the door opened, leaving Tali alone. But this time, she was full of life and energy. She had... Hope, hope for a better outcome of today. She even felt.. safe.

* * *

They found the main problem, Geth were trying their hardest to break through the door and get to Tali. Lord only knows what would happen to her, most likely death in a gruesome manner. Mads, Garrus and Grunt linked up with the Quarian squad leader, Kal'Reegar. Mads could quickly see he was injured.

"I don't know why you are here, but I can't very well be picky now, can I? The Geth are trying to get to Tali, and they have killed pretty much all of my squad. All I have been able to do, is being a pain in their ass" Kal remarked.

"And Tali is still safe?" Mads asked.

"Yeah, that door is reinforced. The Geth need time to hack it, and I'm not giving them that time. The Geth are at platoon strength. The Colossus is the worst of the bunch, it keeps on repairing itself, and from where I am, I simply can't get to it once it is repairing." He answered.

"Alright. Garrus, you take the right, provide cover with your sniper. Grunt, you take them head on, draw their attention. I'll go left. Kal, you stay behind." Mads ordered.

"WHAT?" He asked in a very angry tone. He found it very insulting to be ordered to stand down. Mads understood that, but he didn't wish for Kal to die, not now.

"You stay here; try to provide cover with your rocket launcher. Don't lose your head." Mads ordered.

After a little while of discussing it in very angry tones to each other. Kal agreed and stood down, only offering some small support.

Mads began making his way across the left side. They were spread out, but that worked to their advantage here, the Colossus didn't know who to target. The troopers were trying to stop them from all sides, but where simply out of manpower to do a good enough job.

After much fighting and many bullets later, they stood against a single enemy, the Colossus. The damn thing was so annoying. But, they attacked from three sides, making Colossus unable to defend itself properly. As its health dropped, Mads took out his .44 Magnum and shot it one final time in the head. It exploded, dropping into a thousand pieces.

They stood victorious. Now, all they had to do, was get Tali out. Mads walked over to the door, but was horrified to find it damaged by the Geth. Their fighting had caused the door to get damaged; now it wouldn't open, neither from outside or the inside.

Then, they came. The voices. Inside his own head.

 _Looks like you failed again._

 _Another girl you let down._

 _Time moves forward and nothing changes._

Mads grew frustrated at the voices taunting him. He grew angry and began kicking the door. To most people, it looked fruitless. But Mads had received the cybernetic updates in his bones and muscles. He began kicking harder and harder, the metal began to dent with every kick after a while. Until finally, it came off.

* * *

Tali had lost communication with the outside after speaking with Mads. Now, all she could hear was the banging on the door. She feared the Geth had gotten to her, and they would now kill her. Then, the door sprang open, and instead of the Geth she was expecting, it revealed a familiar figure.

His boots once again made a sound that echoed throughout the room, and she knew who it was. She began sprinting towards him in joy. And he also ran towards her. She hugged him tight as soon as she was within reach. Mads picked her up and swung her around while holding her tight.

"Romanov! I thought I was going to die!" She remarked as her tears of sadness were replaced by tears of joy.

"I'm here Tali. And I won't ever leave you again." He replied while holding her tight. They stayed like that for a little while, not even noticing Garrus, Grunt and Kal walking into the room. They watched the two, and they knew (Well, Grunt probably didn't know.) That they were quite fond of each other.

"Is this the right time to ask if you will join my crew?" Mads asked while laughing a bit.

She looked up at him, and while he didn't know it, she was smiling. "Of course I will join you now. I can send the admirals the data once we are off world." She answered.

"So this means you won't be keeping me company on the way home?" Kal joked.

"I'll go with Romanov. Be sure to give a report to the Admirals of what happened here." Tali ordered.

"Will do, see you around, Tali'Zorah." Kal replied.

"Let's get back to our ship." Mads suggested. Tali held a tight grip on his arm all the way to the shuttle. She would tell him how she felt soon, very soon. Garrus was quick to crack a few jokes about the old times on their way back. Tali, like she always did with Garrus, threatened him with her shotgun.


	38. Chapter 37: Favors

**Hey Guys!**

 **Here is another chapter for you guys!**

 **I would really like it, if you guys gave some reviews/feedback. It's the only way I'm going to get better. So, just give me your thoughts. What was good/bad and so on.**

 **Feel free to leave ideas as well, some of you have been wonderful at feeding me ideas, especially C.E.W and SAK-96. I salute you guys!**

 **Thanks all for now! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **7/7 2185**

 **Omega**

Conrad stepped of the shuttle. He had just changed into some armor that showed a bit more dignity than the Blue Suns could offer. Omega was the same shithole it had always been, and he realized that nothing would ever change in that regard. But, at Aria's side, it could also be his little kingdom. He quickly got up to speed regarding important events that had happened while he was on his little vacation.

Seems Romanov had done another favor for him, when he weakened all the influence the other Merc groups had on the rock known as Omega. If he didn't know any better, he would consider him a pal. But, somethings were unforgivable, and considering Mads' nephew (Who might as well have been named Judas) was out of range, he had to settle for the next best thing.

But not now, there were more pressing matters to attend to. That's why he had come to Omega. While he had survived Purgatory, he needed to keep a low profile... For now. While his love affair with Aria would take up some of his time, he needed her for another job: Information.

Vido Santiago and Elias Kelham, two people he needed to find. He had plans for them. Elias betrayed him, lured him out with the help of Vido and got himself taken in custody of C-sec. To add salt to injury, Vido had been given the responsibility of locking up Conrad. Snakes... That was what they were. Conrad had given Elias everything, and all of a sudden he wanted to try out the crown for size.

But now... He needed to see Aria. He had equipped a hood to mask himself from the crowds. He was a known face on Omega. He stepped up to Afterlife; the bouncer looked at him confused when he skipped the line that was always huge. He stopped him just before he entered.

"And what makes you think you are so damn special?" The bouncer asked while holding Conrad back.

Conrad quickly loosened the otherwise tight grip on him and grabbed the bouncer by the throat. Conrad pulled up his hood just enough for the bouncer to see his eyes. And he knew, or maybe he didn't, but he understood that Conrad wasn't one you should fuck with. Needless to say, Conrad got in.

He quickly found his way through the crowded night club. It was as lively as ever, no one took notice of him as he slipped through the people having a good time. Pretty much nothing had changed. It always stayed the same, and that was fine. But, soon enough most would be branded with his name as well.

He came to the guard staying at the base of the stairs leading up to Aria's famous leather couch. The guard looked dismissive at Conrad, clearly not impressed.

"Sorry, Robin Hood. Aria is not taking in guests right now. Not that a low life like you could get in anyway." The guard explained.

Conrad let out a sigh. He then kicked the guard in the shin, and before the guard had even recovered, Conrad grabbed his throat and brought the guard face-to-face with him. "I think you will find her... quite receiving right now." He replied as he tighten his grip around the throat of the guard.

The guard was grasping for air, he was almost on the verge of passing out. Then, Conrad loosened his grip, giving the guard some much needed air.

"Y-Yes sir." He replies.

The Guard stepped aside, allowing Conrad free passage up to the area where Aria was. He walked up the stairs, and entered the chamber. She was sitting at the couch, making herself busy reading a report. Being the ruler of Omega was a hard job, even for someone like her.

She didn't notice him at first, he had moved with silent steps to make this a surprise for her. When she finally did notice him, she didn't know that it was _him._ "What do I pay you guys for?" She asked, even though none of her guards could hear her.

Conrad pulled down his hood, and her expression changed in a matter of a second. She was speechless for a moment. She had read reports of the destruction of Purgatory; she figured he was dead, killed alongside all the other prisoners. She hated to admit it, but she was _very_ happy to see him again.

"What's this? The queen of Omega at a loss for words?" He asked with a smirk as he moved closer.

"Leave us." She ordered to the guards in the room. They quickly did as ordered, they knew better than to question her. As soon as they left, she spoke up again.

"Didn't expect you to come back." She stated. That was the truth.

"You didn't honestly believe I would turn my back on everything I had built?" He asked as he paced around a bit.

"Guess I should have known you were too hard to kill." She answered as walked over to him.

He smiled at her, and then almost jumped at her to lock her in a hungry kiss. She accepted the kiss, and a battle for dominance started between their tongues. She didn't even notice he brought her closer to the couch, until he almost threw them both on it.

His hands were on her, trying to find the zipper on her suit, only to have her stop him. "We can't do it here." She said.

"I don't mind a few souls looking on." he wittily replied.

"Well... I do. Let's go to my apartment." She suggested. Since this was such a big deal for her, he agreed to do it.

* * *

 **Several hours of intimate experiences later.**

They were both on Aria's queen bed. They had caught up on lost time, considering his absence from her. Conrad stared at the celling; he was mentally planning what needed to be done. This was his time to shine, and he needed to make sure he did it correctly.

"So... What are you planning to do?" Aria asked from her side in the bed.

"I need to get back in the game. I need to take out those cocksuckers who betrayed me." Conrad answered as he sat up in the bed.

"Vido Santiago?" She asked.

"Him and Elias Kelham. Both shall suffer." He took a pause. "I need information. Where to find them and so on." He requested.

" Elias Kelham has taken over the day-to-day operations on the Citadel, and is a huge pain in my ass. Vido has taken the remainder of his gang out to Zorya and captured a refinery. He is weak; he has lost almost all power." Aria explained.

"Then I know where to go first. Vido is a dead man."

"I heard rumors Zaeed is going after him as well."

"I should have figured as much. I'll be the one to have the pleasure of killing Vido however."

Conrad equipped his armor. Aria tried to persuade him to stay in bed with her. But he didn't have time to waste. He had to round up as many people he could.

* * *

 **15/7 2185**

 **Zorya**

The tropical climate on the planet of Zirya was not desirable for Mads. He had decided to tackle the favor for Zaeed now, rather than later. He brought Garrus alongside with him, since Mads figured Tali needed time to settle in. He had wanted to speak with her one-on-one since she got back on board, but he fought himself on what to say.

He had spent a lot of nights trying to figure out what he wanted, and trying to understand if she wanted the same thing. He wasn't sure, and he wasn't sure he ever would be. Tali had snuck up on him, she had opened up a place inside his heart and made a home for herself in there. And Mads never realized it, not until now.

He snapped back into reality as Garrus called out to him. "Hey Romanov!"

"What?" Mads asked.

"This Pyjak kinda looks like you!" Garrus joked as they walked through the dense forest.

"You-" Before Mads could make a comeback, their radio switched on. Zaeed had found the Blue Sons' frequency.

"A shuttle just landed. Go check it out." The voice ordered. It was most likely that Vido fellow.

"Seems like they already know we are here." Zaeed remarked.

"Yeah, let's get moving." Mads ordered.

It wasn't long before they encountered some Mercs, just roaming around. They exchanged fire with them, but the blue suns were just nowhere near as skilled as the trio. Vido's voice kept on barking orders through the comms. He began to sound more and more angry, and a bit desperate. Perhaps he knew who was coming after him.

They came to the gate house, they place Vido mentioned. They had to pass it anyhow, perhaps it would be as easy as shooting him there. Probably not. They could see him on the catwalk, looking down at them with a very smug look on his face.

"Zaeed. It's been too long. I trust the glass eye isn't giving you too much trouble?" Vido asked.

"You back-stabbing prick." Zaeed replied as he placed his hand on the handle of his rifle, ready to equip it.

"Don't act foolish, Zaeed. I got the high ground and an army of Mercs at my side, ready to kill and die at my command." Vido remarked. Zaeed scanned the room for an opportunity.

"Go ahead, Zaeed. Sign your own death warrant like the dumb cunt you are." Vido taunted more.

Zaeed seemed to know what he was doing as he stormed forward. He fired several shots up at the catwalk, yet only hitting the valve behind Vido. "What's this? Have you gone near-sighted old friend?" Vido asked mockingly.

"Die you piece of shit!" Zaeed yelled as he shot the valve once more. It exploded, but didn't take out Vido.

The explosion set of a chain reaction. Pressure was building up, and it became clear that the whole place would blow if they didn't do anything. Zaeed kept on building up the pressure on the valves, they exploded and took out the remaining Blue Suns.

"YOU BIG IDIOT!" Mads shouted at Zaeed. Zaeed simply looked back at Mads with a confused look in his face.

"What the hell is your problem?" Zaeed asked.

Mads landed a punch on Zaeed, a bit more force and he would have broken his jaw. But this should serve as a warning. "This was supposed to be a simple mission, yet you seem to be incapable of such an action!" Mads fired back.

Mads started walking off. "Where are you going?" Zaeed asked.

"I'm going to fix the problem you created!" Mads replied as he kept on walking.

* * *

Vido realized they must be right behind him. He kept on running, hoping to catch his ship in time. His men kept on walking into the meat grinder as he ran the other way. He ordered a small guard to escort him to his ship. He smirked when he got the update that they were far behind; they had tried to save the workers.

 _Dumbass_ Vido thought. He could see his ship and almost felt home-free. That was until all his guards were killed off in a matter of seconds. Before he could even react, he was shot in his thigh. He fell on the ground and grunted in pain.

He looked up, and was horrified at what he saw. _Him._ But it was impossible! He was dead! Vido tried to drag himself backwards. To be honest, he didn't know what was more horrifying. Facing Zaeed, or facing... Him.

"Where are you going Vido?" Conrad asked with a laugh as he saw Vido's attempt at fleeing.

"Come on Rorke! You know it wasn't personal!" Vido replied as he continued to try and escape.

"That's doesn't change what happened. Does it?" Rorke asked further. He didn't get any form of answer. "Bring him to me." He ordered to his guards, who quickly did as asked.

Vido kept winching in pain as they brought him before Conrad, who simply stood with close to no emotions in his face.

"Please..." Vido pleaded, tears forming in his eyes.

"Shhhh..." Conrad said to calm him down. "You didn't want to see that I was going to be the leader of the Terminus... That's okay." Conrad continued in a calm voice.

"If you don't want to see, then I'll take away your ability to do so." Conrad promised as he laid his hands on Vido's head. He then began jamming his thumbs into Vido's eyes. Blood ran down Vido's cheeks as he screamed at the top of his lungs, trying his hardest to get free of Conrad's guards' grip.

Finally, Conrad released him from his grip and Vido fell to the ground. Still screaming in pain, both for the pain in his leg, but also screaming for his sudden loss of vision.

Conrad had made sure to have his people record the whole ordeal, it needed to be announced to the wider galaxy.

* * *

Mads, Garrus and Zaeed had saved the refinery from blowing up. Zaeed had, of course, been angry at Mads for their diversion from the main goal. They were nearing the landing pad, where they figured Vido's ship would be and hopefully Vido himself. What they found was surprising, and Mads hadn't counted on it.

Mads made eye contact with Conrad as he was jamming out the eyes of Vido. Zaeed had mixed feelings, he had hoped to be the one to kill Vido, but at least he wouldn't be out there much longer. Mads knew it would be dangerous with Conrad on the loose, he had hoped he died on the prison ship alongside all the other scumbags. Mads should have known he would have survived.

Mads quickly unholstered his 44. Magnum and took aim. He was ready to kill Conrad in that moment; at least he wouldn't be a problem going forward. Conrad reacted as fast as Mads. He used Vido as his meat shield against the bullets.

Vido cried out as the first bullets hit him in back. He died after the third, yet Mads kept on going. Zaeed and Garrus helped Mads in trying to bring down Conrad. Garrus didn't know who it was, but if Mads was shooting at him, he must be pretty bad. Zaeed knew, and he knew he had to be put down.

As all three stopped to reload, Conrad made a run for it. They all quickly ran after him, hoping to end this here and now. They meatheads he had brought along slowed them down, but they were still hot on his tail.

It didn't matter in the end. He got on his ship and flew away. They kept on shooting the vessel, but it had a very limited effect. Zaeed kept on going, not wanting to stop.

"Knock it out Zaeed. He's gone." Mads stated as he sat down on a rock.

"Goddamn Rorke! He was always a pain in the ass." Zaeed remarked as he kicked some dirt around.

"Tell me about it." Mads replied as he opened the chamber to his 44. Magnum and reloaded with one of his speed loaders.

"At least Vido is gone. That dumb son of a bitch. Thanks for taking care of him." Zaeed thanked.

"No problem, let's get back to the ship." Mads suggested.

Both Garrus and Zaeed nodded in agreement.

* * *

 **15/7 2185**

 **Captain's cabin.**

Mads had his feet kicked up on his desk, currently sitting with a drink in one hand and a smoke in the other. He was listing to some relaxing music. He had finished his report for the day. While today's events weren't the desired, he had earned Zaeed's loyalty when he killed Vido. There was however, a new problem. Conrad Rorke had put the Blue Suns in their place; it was only a matter of time before he came for the rest.

In a couple of days, he had to help Kasumi with her mission. He had enough to do, because after that he was going to Illium. Picking up a Justicar and an assassin. Seemed like child's play. He also had to figure out what to do with Tali. He was a loss, he simply didn't know what to do, and it was tearing him apart. He was the type to always have a plan ready at hand.

He would have to sleep on it.

* * *

 **18/7 2185**

 **Sky car, on route to Bekenstein**

"Human fashion nowadays is really weird." Mads remarked as he tried to adjust the suit given to him by Kasumi.

"What do you mean by that?" Kasumi asked as she looked over at Mads with a confused look.

"Well... Nothing. Forget it." Mads replied quickly.

Kasumi continued looked at him for a few more moments, until shaking her head.

"You should quit whining. You look great in it." Kasumi reassured him.

"I feel like a fucking penguin in this." Mads commented.

"We're here." Kasumi said to change subject as she landed the sky car. "You remember your story?"

"Yeah. Solomon Gunn, I run a small band of Mercs Terminus, yada yada yada." Mads replied, still thinking this was a stupid idea.

"You better take it seriously."

"I just hope that this gray box is worth it."

"It is, trust me."

Mads sighed as he stepped out of the sky car. Now, they had to get all the stuff done to get inside the vault. At any rate, it was a pretty cool house the man owned. Donovan Hock, a dangerous man. Sergei would be happy to see him go, that much was certain.

An hour later, and they had gathered all the information they needed to open the vault. The amount of security Donovan Hock had put into the place, made Mads wonder what things was hidden inside. When they entered the vault, he got a chance to see it all first-hand. Mads had armored up, snapping his belt on with the 44. Magnum was one of the best feelings out there.

"Jesus fucking Christ. Is _that_ the head of the statue of Liberty?" Mads asked in disbelief as he saw the giant head.

"Yup, don't know how he got his hands on it." Kasumi replied while still trying to find the gray box.

"That thing belongs in a museum, or rather where it once was. God damn..." Mads remarked as he eyed it. He had read about it, some terrorists had blown it up. A damn shame.

They finally found the gray box after seeing all the other priceless things in there. God damn, where did he get all that stuff?

Then, his ugly head appeared on the big screen. He had a dialog with Kasumi, they talked back and forth. Borderline? He wanted what was in the gray box. Mads needed to change the subject, he pulled out his 44. Magnum and shot one of the statues, which was probably priceless.

"NO!" Donovan yelled as he watched it crumble.

"Sorry. You were saying?" Mads asked with a witty smile.

Then, Kasumi got access, just as Donovan ordered his men to kill them. Donovan had hired Eclipse Mercs to take them on, led by Chief Roe. She was killed rather fast by a single bullet to the head by the AK. _Some people nowadays should learn to wear helmets._

They killed off the rest, but then the alarm sounded. They should have known. Every Merc nearby was coming for them, and there was quite a lot of them too. Mads was quite annoyed that it was only him and Kasumi here; he could use the support of the others. But still, they worked well together. Kasumi was actually really good in open combat, despite her reputation as a thief.

There was also a lot of Mechs, the big ones. They fell too. Mads wondered what Donovan would throw at them next. The man had a fucking arsenal in here, but that was to be expected of someone with his job. Donovan kept on mocking them over the comms, trying to stall them.

Then, they came to an open area. They thought they had survived the worst of it. That was until Donovan appeared in his own gunship. He was going to kill them, that was his plan. "Kasumi! You distract him!" Mads ordered. Kasumi nodded in approval.

Mads grabbed a rocket launcher, and began to pry away at his shields. They amount of Mercs trying to kill them while he was fighting Donovan didn't help in any way. It felt like hours, they kept on trying to take him down. That was until Kasumi took the chance and made (What was probably some of the best parkour Mads had ever seen) to jump on Donovan's gunship. She hacked it, causing it to lose it shields. She jumped off in the last minute.

Now, it was only a matter of unloading on the bastard. Then, the gunship's health dropped to an all-time low. Mads took the chance and unholstered his 44. Magnum and took the last shot. He looked Donovan straight in the eye as he took his shot. The gunship couldn't handle anymore, and crashed down into the earth.

The shuttle came for them shortly thereafter. Mads and Kasumi sat down. Kasumi was busy eyeing the gray box in her hands. Kasumi then showed Mads the contents of the gray box. It was clear that she loved him, and that he loved her. But the information was simply too dangerous to be left lying around.

"Look, Kasumi... I know what you are thinking." Mads started.

"I can't... I won't..." She replied with a weak voice.

"Kasumi, even he wanted you to destroy it." Mads argued. She began to sob a little bit, and he could understand why.

He gave her a hug to calm her down. "Make the right choice, Kasumi." Mads suggested.

She did calm down. She wiped the tears from her eyes, she took a moment to get her voice back. "I will." She replied with a smile.


	39. Chapter 38: Illum part 1

**20/7 2185**

 **Normandy.**

 _Help me Lord, for I do not know what to do._

How can one person dominate his mind like she did? How can his only thoughts be centered around her? God had been right. One person was really itching for his return. Only now, did he truly understand. It seemed surreal.

 _You are not worthy of her._

 _Remember what happened the last time?_

And here they come again, the voices. They come and go, but they always leave an impact larger than he would like. He wondered what Tali felt, he wondered if she harbored any feelings for him. A lot of women in this galaxy did, but would she? How could he know God was right? For all he knew, it could have been a trick.

He didn't know, and he hated not knowing. What was he supposed to do? Would it even be worth it? Letting her down? He was the start, and he would be the end. It will always be like that. He was almost certain that his end would come with the final blow to the reapers. It seemed fitting.

He couldn't think like that, at least not now. He had to clear his head. Splashing some water into his face helped a bit. Drew him back to reality. After letting out a sigh, he decided to go some rounds, that would clear his head for sure. He quickly got out of his cabin and down to the CIC. The Normandy was as busy as it usually was during this time.

He walked into Mordin's lab, and was instantly greeting by Mordin. "Ah! Romanov, just who I was looking for. Mind If I take a blood sample?"

Mads could never understand how so many words could leave his mouth in such a short period of time. "What do you need a blood sample for?" Mads asked confused.

"Data. I have already asked and received from several crew members." Mordin replied, already having the needle ready in hand,

"... Fine." Mads accepted, offering his hand. Mordin quickly took the blood and thanked Mads for his help, before turning his attention back to his terminal.

It happened so fast, so Mads was greatly confused. He decided to just roll with it. He went out and down a level to speak with Garrus, who (Like always) was busy doing his calibration on the main cannon. How could he spend so much time with it? No one really knew. Probably a fetish, if Mads had to make a qualified guess.

"Hey Garrus." Mads greeted as he walked into the room.

"Hey Romanov. What are you up to?" Garrus asked as he didn't even turn his attention from the gun.

"Have Mordin asked you for a blood sample?" Mads asked back.

"... No." Garrus replied as he tried to remember if Mordin had asked him for one. "Why do you ask?"

"He just took a blood sample, out of nowhere. Said it was for some data... Not sure if he was telling the truth." Mads answered.

"You seem a little tense. You haven't been smashing your mirror again, have you?" Garrus joked, but Mads could make out some concern in his voice.

"Fuck you." Mads replied. Silence fell before them, before Mads spoke up again. The words sort of just fell out of his mouth.

"Do you think a Quarian and a Human can have a relationship?"

It took only a second for Garrus to understand the meaning. He busted out laughing at the question. So much so, that he was in danger of falling on the ground because of the hard laughing. Mads buried his head in his hands. Why did he have to let Garrus know about it first?

"Yeah, laugh it up." Mads remarked as Garrus' laughter slowly died down.

"I should have known." Garrus said as he wiped a tear from his eye. "You always liked her."

"What? That's not true!"

"Don't lie, Romanov. Since day 1, your eyes have been on her." Garrus teased.

"Doesn't matter, not like she would want someone like me." Mads replied as he shifted on his feet a bit.

"What makes you say that?" Garrus asked.

"Well. For starters, I'm older. I'm a Human. I got a low life expectancy and so on." Mads preached.

"Yeah, how old is she. 23?" Garrus asked.

"24." Mads corrected.

Garrus had a smug face, too smug for Mads' liking. "You really do care about her." Garrus stated.

Mads buried his head in his hands. "Yeah... I guess I do. I can't stop thinking about her. I need to stop." Mads replied.

"Why? You should speak with her."

"And let her know her commanding officer thinks about her? That's unprofessional. In every way." Mads remarked.

"What do you stand to lose? Either she likes you back, or she don't. But, from what I can read, she does hold interest in you." Garrus said.

"Yeah? What makes you certain?"

"Look, I'm not an expert on Quarians. But her body language tells more than she lets on. Try to study it, and you will see the same thing." Garrus explained.

Mads remained quiet for a little while. "Maybe I'll talk to her." He said.

"That's great! Now, if you will excuse me for a moment, I need to calibrate this gun."

"Of course. I should have known." Mads joked as he went out.

"What does that mean?!" Garrus yelled after him.

* * *

 **Normandy, Engineering department**

Tali was standing at her station in the Engineering department. Doing her usual work that was way beneath her skill level. She had been surprised at just how friendly her co-workers had been to her. She had expected racism on a higher level from a Cerberus vessel. But not here. Because of her quick work, she had a lot of time to think. There were mostly only two things on her mind, the captain or the migrant fleet. And these past weeks, the Captain had taken up more of her daily day dreaming than she would like to admit.

She had wished for an audience with him. While she spoke with him pretty much every day, she wanted to speak with him in private. But, there was only one problem. Her self-doubt. It was like a stab in the back. Every day, when the Captain would come, she would be unable to say anything even remotely connected to her feelings. Her brain was a trench war between her feelings and self-doubt.

 _He doesn't care about you! You are just a tool to him_

 _That's not true! He does care about me!_

 _He deserves better than you! He deserves better than a Suit-rat!_

She didn't have a mental response to that, and her eyes began to water at the thought. Who was she kidding? Of course he didn't want her. He could pick any woman in this galaxy he wanted. Tali wanted to rid herself of her own feelings, but it proved impossible.

Then, she heard the one thing she didn't want to hear right in that moment. The sound of hobnails against the metal floor, signaling the coming of the captain. She stood at her station, and awaited the usual tap on her shoulder he would always do. In was in moments like these, that she was glad she had the helmet. This way, he couldn't see the tears rolling down her cheek.

"Tali?" She heard his voice. She took a moment to turn around, he already stood in armor. One thing was off, on his left gloved hand there was something tied around it.

"Hey Captain. What's that?" She asked as she pointed to his left hand.

"Oh this?" Mads said as he raised his left hand. "This is a Rosary. Meant for a special kind of prayer. Each knots or beads used to count the component prayers. Figured it would be good to have with me." Mads explained with a smile.

"That's pretty cool." She stated as she studied it. Her hand found its way to her necklace.

"Yeah. Can I speak with you for a moment?... in private." Mads requested.

"Uhhh... Yeah sure." Tali was curious at what he wanted to discuss. They walked to the drive core. Mads cleared his throat when he was certain that they out of ear drop from the other crew members.

"So... erh..." Whatever words he wanted to say died down in his throat. Tali eyed him with curiosity as he tried to find the right words.

* * *

What was wrong with him? Words usually didn't die down in his throat. Was he... Nervous? It couldn't be. He had faced down terrorists and rouge spectres alike, yet this was too much? How could this be? How was Tali able to do this to him?

So, what did he do? He changed the subject to something else; something he in reality didn't come down to talk about. "Are you interested in accompanying me to Illum?"

Tali took a second to respond. "Sure, I would love to."

"Thanks. It will be just like old times." Mads promised. She smiled under her visor. "I'll see you later." Mads said as he went out. Tali wondered if this would be a good time to tell him his feelings. And, for a moment, her doubt wasn't there. She was free of her chains for just a moment. "Romanov?"

She launched forward as soon as he turned around and held him in a tight hug. The action took him by surprise, but he welcomed it. They held each other for a little while. Then, her self-doubt came back, and it came back fast. She pulled away, she was unable to even look him in the eye.

"Tali, are you okay?" Mads asked concerned. Her gesture had taken him by surprise. Garrus was right, there was something. At least, Mads would think as much.

"I'm fine. I'll see you later?" Tali dismissed.

Mads decided to not push it further right now. There was a time and a place for everything, but this wasn't the time. "Right, catch you later." Mads bid farewell as he left. She had given him food for thought.

* * *

 **Later that night**

 **Illum**

They had arrived in the evening. It was already dark outside. Garrus and Tali were with Mads as he walked out of the Normandy and unto the Asari colony. They were jumped by an Asari, who seemed to have been waiting for them.

"Hello! And welcome to Illum!" The Asari greeted.

"Good evening." Mads greeted back.

"I take it you are Captain Romanov?" She asked.

"The one and only." Mads replied.

"I'm here under the request of Liara T'Soni. She wishes to speak with you. I should also let you know, that the parking fee for the ship has been paid by Dr. T'Soni." She explained.

She left, leaving Mads in a confused state. So many questions. What was Liara doing here? How did she have the money for all these things? Best thing to do, was to get the answers from Liara herself.

It was a short walk. The colony was clean, but there was still something shady about it. He knew this was Noveria 2.0. Business was king here. Everything was about money. "Okay, listen to me." Mads said to get Garrus' and Tali's attention. They both gave him their undying attention.

"Don't sign anything, don't agree to anything. Garrus, I don't care how low the interest rate is, don't take it. Tali, I don't care how sweet the promises are, you don't listen. Am I clear?" Mads asked, awaited an answer.

They were taken back at his choice of words. But they both knew, that he was the expert in commercial dealings. So they both nodded.

"Good. Now, let's go see Liara." Mads ordered. They both followed closely behind. They walked up to the office that was marked _L. T'Soni._ The secretary quickly let them in under orders from Liara. The office wasn't large, but it was well decorated.

Liara's eyes lit up when they saw the trio entering. They all took a seat in front of Liara. She smiled at them. "It's good to see you again." She started.

"And it's good to see you as well, Liara. I see you have done well for yourself." Mads remarked as he looked around the room.

"Yeah, well... I had to pay the bills somehow." She replied.

"I see that. And I'm happy you decided to pay the parking fee, but we could have as easily have done it ourselves." Mads said.

"I know that. Cerberus does have huge financial support." Liara remarked. Mads shifted a bit in his seat. How did she know? Then it dawned on him, she was an information broker. Of course she knew things like that.

"Not my proudest moment." Mads commented.

"We all have to do what needs to be done, Captain. I'm no different. Is there any way I can help you?" Liara asked. There was something about Liara that seemed... Different. Her tone, it was much more cold than before. Mads tilted his head to the side as he studied her for a moment. He would dig a bit after he got the information,

"Thane Krios." Mads requested. He knew that was all she needed to hear to give some information.

"Ah, the assassin. Heard he was taking on a new mission. He arrived just a few days ago. I believe he was planning on taking on Nassana Dantius."

Mads chuckled. "Nassana Dantius?" Mads asked. That bitch. Of course she was going down.

"Yes. You should be able to find someone able to take you to her down by the Cargo transfer office. Her name is Seryna." Liara advised.

"Thank you. You wouldn't happen to know anything about the Justicar named Samara, would you?" Mads asked further.

"Ah yes. The presence of a Justicar is highly unusual here on Illum. She is taking on a mission. Speak with Tracking Officer Dara down by the transportation hub." Liara informed.

"Great." Mads thanked. "Tali, Garrus. Would you mind to wait outside a bit? I would like to speak with Liara in private." Mads requested. They both nodded and went outside. When the door closed, Mads turned to Liara.

"What's going on?" He asked harshly.

"What do you mean?" Liara asked back.

"Everything about you is different. You are... I don't know... More cold?" Mads suggested.

"A lot changed after your death. I had things to do."

"Like flying to Illum to become an information broker? Seems like an odd thing you _had_ to do."

"You don't understand. You can't. There was things I to do. Now, there are debts that need to be paid."

"That the hell have you done?" Mads asked in an even harder tone.

"You won't understand."

"You don't trust me?"

"That's not the issue. This is Illum, there are eyes and ears everywhere."

"You are not the same person I meet on Therum. What happened to you?"

"I became more like you."

"MORE LIKE ME? Is that what you want?"

"I spent so much time with you! How can I not become like you?"

"Do as I say Liara. Not as I do."

"You are a hypocrite, Romanov. You want to help? You can hack these stations."

"Oh, you want me to hack terminals? Is that what I am now, a hacker?"

"I won't discuss this any further. I believe Garrus and Tali are waiting for you."

"We'll have this discussion in full length sooner or later, Liara." Mads finished as he stood up from his chair went towards the door. Garrus and Tali were waiting patiently outside the office.

"Did it go well?" Tali asked, but she grew concerned when she saw the hurt in Mads' eyes. "No." Was the simple answer she got. She knew she couldn't dig anymore information out of him for the time being.

"Let's go recruit this assassin then." Mads ordered, they both followed him.

* * *

Illum had massive buildings, and this one was no exception. Thane was already there, probably close to his target. Mads needed to move quickly, which meant he couldn't go the stealthy route. Not that he ever was one for stealth. Nassana had employed mechs and mercs alike. Seryna had been kind enough to fly them there, even filling them in on things they didn't already know.

As Mads, Tali and Garrus kept getting further and further up the building, they kept running into different kind of workers trapped inside rooms. They all claimed a man from the shadows had saved them. It was a tough fight all the way up.

Mads saw the merc standing by the window, probably talking to some of his friends. Mads unholstered his 44. Magnum and brought it up to the man's skull.

"Oh shit." The merc remarked as he felt the gun barrel.

"I'll make this simple. Where is the assassin?" Mads requested in a rather calm voice.

"Why the hell are you after him?" The Merc asked.

"I don't really think you are in a position to ask question." Mads replied coldly. He pulled the hammer back to let the Merc know he was serious.

"Even if I knew where he was, I wouldn't tell you." the Merc stated with the same level of coldness.

Mads drew his Magnum back. "So be it." Before kicking the man so hard, he broke the window and fell all the way down to his death.

Why did Mercs always have to believe they have the upper hand? Bunch of dumbasses. Doesn't matter, what mattered was getting to Thane in time. He didn't seem like the time to stick around too long after killing someone.

After a fight over a bridge, they finally came to her office. Where she had locked herself in with about as much security as she could. Tali hacked the door open quickly and the trio went inside. Thane hadn't claimed his victim yet. So all they had to do was wait.

"Captain Romanov. Back from the dead to kill me?" Nassana asked.

"If I wanted you dead, I would have done it already. Not that you don't deserve it." Mads replied as he got closer.

"Then why are you here? Just to look on?"

"I'm here for the man who really wants to kill you."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see soon enough."

And true to his word. The vent broke and (Who Mads believed to be Thane) jumped down. His movements were quick and well planned. His hands hit right where they were supposed to hit. His victims never stood a chance. And before Mads knew it, they were all dead. Nassana was shot as well. She died in the arms of Thane.

Then, Thane began to pray. Mads moved closer. Before Mads could even say anything, Thane spoke up. "A Rosary…. Interesting."

"Thane Krios?" Mads asked. He was pretty sure it was him. Not many dwell around these days.

"Yes. I must admit captain. I admire your handy work, even if it less than practical."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. I prefer my kills to be quiet. I see you believe the opposite."

"I needed to get to you quickly."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I need your help."

"Interesting. I'm listening."

"I'm taking on the collectors. They are taking entire human colonies. I need to find out why and put a stop to it."

"A noble course." Thane remarked as he thought about it for a moment. "I will join you. Free of charge."

"Really? Interesting." Mads replied as he shook hands with Thane.

"Yes. I will join you on your vessel. We can talk further there." Thane said. Mads nodded.


	40. Chapter 39: Illum part 2

**21/7 2185**

 **Normandy, Briefing room.**

"Good to have you onboard, Thane. I hope you can make yourself comfortable." Mads stated after the briefing with Thane and Miranda.

"Thank you. I would prefer to stay somewhere warm and dry." Thane requested.

Edi suggested the life support room, due to its different climate. Thane nodded. "I'll speak with you later Thane." Mads said as a final note. Thane left after another nod.

Miranda walked over the Mads as he was putting a cigarette between his lips. "So... What are you going to do next?" She asked as she leaned against the table.

Mads pulled out his zippo lighter and gave fire to his cigarette. He huffed out some smoke and inhaled deeply. "I go back and get the Justicar. Hopefully without any trouble." Mads replied as he took another drag of his cigarette.

"Understood. Could you, perhaps, come down to my quarters in 15 minutes? There is something I would like to discuss." Miranda requested as she shifted a bit on her feet.

Mads looked at her confused. She had never asked to see him in private before. "Yeah, sure." Mads agreed.

"Thank you." Miranda remarked as she left. Mads watched her leave, curious about what she wanted to discuss. What could possibly be so important? Only one way to find out. Still, he had 15 minutes to kill. Finishing his cigarette, he put it out in the ashtray. Leaving a small stream of smoke coming from it.

Kelly stood by her usual place; she swung around as soon as she heard the hobnails on the metal floor. "Captain!" She greeted.

"Kelly, how are you?" Mads asked as he turned around to greet her as well. She smiled a big smile. "I'm doing A-okay. A package came through with your name on it. Apparently a friend of yours gave it." She replied and stated.

"Really? Where is it?" Mads asked.

"I placed it in your cabin." Kelly answered.

"Thanks Kelly. I'll go check it out." Mads thanked as he went into the elevator and went up to his cabin. Sure enough, there was a small package on the ground. Mads picked it up and brought it to his desk. He opened it and found a note inside the box, alongside something real special.

It was a huge combat knife, if he had to guess, the blade was about 10-12 inches long. The knife overall was about 15-17 inches long. A beast of a knife. Mads picked up the note and read it.

" _Dear Captain Romanov._

 _A few days ago, I was going through the news, and I saw the death of a certain Donovan Hock. Now, I don't normally jump to conclusions, but I know he had beef with Kasumi (Yes, I know she is on your vessel) and therefore I figured you might have played a role in his death._

 _On the off chance I'm wrong; consider this an investment in your fight against the collectors. But, if I am right: consider it a gift for taking care of Donovan Hock. That man had been on my nerves for ages._

 _The knife is a larger version of the Ontario SP1 Marine Combat knife. I figured it would come in handy for stabbing some collectors. I know how much you like old weapons._

 _Best regards_

 _Your friendly neighborhood arms smuggler_

 _Sergei the Merchant."_

Mads smiled as he read the words by Sergei. The man never failed to impress Mads. The knife felt good in his hand. Mads tried a few swings with it. It seemed pretty solid. Mads looked around the crate, and was glad to find a holster for the knife as well. He strapped the knife to his right Jackboot, which should complete the look.

 _God damn, I love you Sergei!_

* * *

 **21/7 2185**

 **Omega.**

Conrad awoke from his sleep. He shifted a bit in the big king sized bed. Aria sure knew how to pick the good beds. She had already left, and he could hardly blame her. She had to run Omega, and she couldn't afford to let people know about their little affair. But, Omega had proven to be a good base of operations.

He had killed Vido, or at least, gotten him killed. He was now out of the picture, and he would now come for Elias Kelham. However, he had a few problems. Elias Kelham had gotten so much control on the citadel, it was almost unbelievable. Conrad would have to be careful.

As he planned his next move, he remembered an old contact, one he hadn't spoken to in a long time. Helena Blake, he still remembered when they first met. He was still a alliance soldier, this was before Torfan.

" _Shoreleave, how fucking great!" Conrad muttered to himself as he stepped of the vessel. They had been given a week on the citadel to roam around. He was bored out of his mind, so he just walked. The Presidum was way too fancy for his blood. Him, a simple farmer (who lost all in the attack on Mindoir, he still had nightmares about that.) was more comfortable down in the wards._

 _He had a bottle of overpriced liquor in one hand and his gun in the other. He had to admit, he had perhaps been drinking more than he should. Still, he kept his grip on the gun tight._

" _Never leave home without a firearm bu your side" That was the advice he had been given by that nice Alliance logistics officer with a Russian accent on Mindoir. Conrad took another sip of his bottle before he heard something._

 _It was an argument between a woman and a few thugs. At first, Conrad simply observed the event with careful eyes. The argument grew in volume, and finally he intervened. When the thugs saw him coming, they quickly ran away. Conrad confronted the woman , and asked her what the hell was going on._

 _She explained her situation. In his drunken stage, he didn't catch half of it. But she asked him do take care of a rival crime boss. Seeing as he had nothing better to do, he agreed._

That's how he met her. He took care of her problem. When he was discharged, he wished to enter the game, and she already owed him one. She had been pushed off the Citadel when Elias tried on the crown for size. She had found sanctuary and a new job working for Aria. Perhaps he could cut a deal with her? Probably.

Conrad had gathered quite a few men for his cause. The other Merc gangs were almost out of the game, pretty much no match for him. Now, he had a way inside. But, he would have to play his cards right. Elias was no idiot, and should not be underestimated.

* * *

 **Normandy**

Mads knocked on the metal door to Miranda's quarters. It took a moment, but it opened in the end. She was sitting at her desk. Now that he thought about it, he had never actually been down there. It was located where the old Captain Quarters on the original Normandy had been, but it was at least the same size. Mads didn't really like Miranda, and he had a feeling she didn't like him either. So, they kept it professional. Like it should be (according to alliance guidelines). Well, not like that mattered anymore. He was on a Cerberus vessel.

"Captain, so glad you could join me." Miranda greeted as she turned her attention away from the Terminal and unto Mads.

"Yeah, no problem." Mads said as he paced around the room a little.

"I know you and I don't have the best friendship onboard this vessel. But... I need your help." Miranda stated as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She wasn't used to asking for help. Mads' curiosity arose at the string of words.

"I'm listening." Mads replied as he sat down in the chair in front of her desk.

"It's... It's personal. It's about my sister. Well... It's a long story." Miranda silently asked for permission to continue. Mads looked at his Swiss army watch and concluded that he could spare the time. "Go ahead." He said, granting her permission.

She explained in detail her situation. How she was a clone, created by a mad father who wanted nothing short of perfection. She had escaped him, and when he created another clone (identical to Miranda) she took it. Not wanted her sister to go through the same shit she went through. Now, the bill had come due, and her father wanted the sister back.

"I'll help you Miranda. We might not be the best pals on this vessel, but I respect family." Mads promised. Miranda sighed in relief. "We'll get it done as soon as we have the Justicar." Mads ordered. "Yes sir." Miranda replied.

* * *

 **21/7 2185**

 **Illum**

Mads walked unto the Colony known as Illum once again. Still as unforgiving as ever. The place they needed to be was a short walk away. So they just started navigating the huge areas. Meeting many people as they went along. They meet up with that immigration/tracking officer Liara spoke of.

"Good day. How many I help you?" The officer asked. She grew a bit tense when she saw the trio, all geared up like they were ready to roll into Fallujah. Not that anyone nowadays would understand that reference.

"We are looking for an Asari Justicar who came through recently." Mads replied.

"You are not going to take her down!" The officer almost yelled. Completely sure she knew what was going on.

"We aren't here to take her down, officer. Calm down for a moment. Breathe." Mads ordered. And surprisingly, she did. It took a few moments, but she calmed down.

"We are here, because we need her help. That's all. I have no interest in killing or arresting her. Unless of course... She forces my hand." Mads explained.

"... Okay. But you have to be careful around her. She is the law, and deserves respect from all. Her task is to protect and bring people to justice." She finally agreed. She gave them the location. They quickly got a ride there, and so the hunt for the Justicar was on.

The stepped off the taxi in another part of Illum. Right next to a police station. There was already quite a scene in the making. A Volus, two Turian bodyguards and an Asari police officer. Sounds like the start to a bad joke. But it was what was happening before them. A murder had taken place, and it seemed like the Volus was in balls deep with the Eclipse mercs. Of course... Nothing could be proven.

After speaking with the officer (Who had the same concerns as the tracking officer). Mads was granted access. Mostly because the police officer was sacred shitless of coming face-to-face with the Justicar. Pressing through the virtual police line, Mads entered the crime scene. The death of a Volus, the partner of that other one. Mads didn't have time to learn their names.

Then, it happened again. Mercs, trying to kill him as he pressed further into the alleys. He was tired, and not in the mood for this shit again. He just pulled out his magnum and planted a bullet in the heads of the Mercs that were in his way. He walked calmly down the alley as the Merc lied lifelessly on the ground, with a pool of blood forming around their heads. Garrus and Tali were right behind him, and while he couldn't see their reaction, he knew they were shocked at how calm he had been.

Mads opened the door to a new room, and found a fight already happening inside. As the two Asari battled, Mads decided to grant himself a cigarette while they fought out their differences. As he pulled out his lighter, Garrus came up beside him.

"Aren't you going to do anything?" Garrus asked.

"If the Jusicar wins, I'll speak with her. If she dies, then she wouldn't have been much use to us anyway." Mads replied as he gave fire to his cigarette. After the Merc had been thrown out the window, she still refused to give any information to the Jusicar. Then, in one motion, the Jusicar broke the poor girl's neck with her boot, or rather, her heel.

When the dust settled, and the smoke from his cigarette cleared, she looked over at the trio. Who was standing there, still armed to the teeth. The justicar looked rather calm and simply asked: "Are you friend... Or foe?"

Mads took one last drag from his cigarette before throwing it on the ground and putting it out with his boot. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. I admire your work, by the way." Mads replied.

She analyzed his response for a moment, trying to see if he was lying or not. "What do you want?" She asked after that moment of silence.

"If you are done with your killing, I could use your help." Mads answered.

"For what?" She asked coldly.

"We are taking on the collectors. They are stripping human colonies and kidnapping the population. I need to stop them." Mads explained.

"That seems like a worthy cause, but I can't help you. I got a very special mission to carry out, and the code required that I always see a mission through." She remarked. In that moment, that officer showed up. Probably because she heard all the gunshots and screaming.

Several minutes passed. The officer explained that she had to bring the Justicar into custody. Then, the Justicar (whose's name was Samara) went on about how she could only cooperate for one day, before she must return to her duties. They discussed what to do, and Mads grew tired.

"Look!" Mads spoke up, both Samara and the officer shut up and turned their attention to him. "If I do this for you, will you join me on my mission?" Mads asked a bit annoyed as he rubbed the top of his nose.

"If you get me the ship name, then I can join you. I will go with the police officer." Samara replied.

"Great." Mads remarked.

* * *

 **A little while later.**

Mads was just so damn tired! Everything was adding up. It was always the same bullshit, go do something, and they'll help/join you. Never once was it the other way around. Still, he had a purpose, he had a mission. And he needed the best people out there, and Samara was one of them. It wasn't like the Eclipse was hard to fight, they were smarter than most of the gangs, but still as prideful and sure of themselves.

It seemed that quite a few mysteries were solved along the way. Like the real killer of that Volus. She had tried to play innocent, but Mads saw through those lying eyes. He shot her in the throat, watched as she choked on her own blood. He found information on that other Volus, he had been selling red sand.

As much as he hated this, he couldn't help but laugh when another Volus, who was as high as a kite, claimed he was a 'Biotic God' and could kill everyone. A quick slap to the back of the head, and he was sleeping.

The finally fight was nothing short of boring. It ended before it really began. A single shot from a 44. Magnum had ended the leader's life. That smug face had been cleaned away. Now, he got the ship's name: The AML Demeter. Which meant he could leave with Samara.

After a few words at the police station, Samara swore the Third Oath of Subsumation. Something about his morals becoming hers and so on. The officer, whose name was actually Detective Anaya, thanked him. Mads gave her the rest of the information he had gathered, making her job easier.

* * *

After a long and tiresome day, he quickly held the briefing for Samara in the comm room. After that, he set the plans for tomorrow. He would help Lawson then. Tonight, he had something a little different in mind.

Mads quickly asked both Garrus and Tali, if they wanted to come and find some place to eat on Illum. Perhaps get a drink after that. His way of thanking them for good service the last couple of days.

Both agreed, and so they agreed to head out in an hours' time. Mads quickly grabbed a shower and put on an officer's uniform. Complete with his duty belt. He never left home without the Magnum, he felt kinda naked without it. He was the only one to really change. Garrus and Tali had the same outfit as ever, not that he should be surprised.

They walked for close to an hour, before they found a place that served both Humans and Turians. Quarians weren't really welcome on Illum, but luckily, Tali could enjoy the tubes of paste that was served at the restaurant.

"Shall we eat here?" Mads asked.

"Seems like a nice place." Garrus remarked as he saw it.

They walked in, and a waiter quickly came to greet them. "Hello there! Table for 2?" She asked. She had a smile on her face, until she saw Tali. "We don't serve Quarians here." She added.

Tali looked down at the ground in defeat. "It's okay. I'll just head back." Tali said as she began to leave. She was stopped by Mads who grabbed her arm. "You aren't going anywhere." Mads stated. Tali looked at him with a very surprised look. Mads turned his attention to the waiter.

"You better serve her. Otherwise, it will be very bad PR for you. Not following the request of a Spectre." Mads threated.

"You aren't a Spectre." The waiter dismissed.

Mads simply opened up his omni-tool and showed her his ID. Her expression changed in a heartbeat. "R-right... S-s-sorry for the misunderstanding. Erh... There is a table for three over here." She stuttered. Quickly guiding them to the table. Tali was shocked, not at the racism she experienced, but at Romanov standing up for her. Even going so far as to show ID to get her to pass.

They only had basic items for each species. Burgers and fries were pretty much the only thing humans could enjoy there. But that was okay. They spoke and laughed like normal friends during their dinner. At some point, Mads decided to go to the bathroom.

Garrus haven't really spoken to Tali since she returned, at least, not in private. They worked on two different levels of the ship. When they were on mission, they didn't really have the time either. So Garrus went forward, trying to be as casual as he could be.

"So... How is it going, Tali?" He asked. Tali turned her attention from her drink to him.

"It's going pretty good. How about you?" Tali asked back.

"Oh, well, I can't complain. Romanov keeps me fed with a steady diet of work and bullets." Garrus remarked. Tali laughed at that.

"So... erh..." Garrus didn't think it would be this awkward. "You like being back with Romanov." He asked.

"Yeah, sure. He keeps the adventures coming. He has done so much for me already; I can't really get myself to not join him." Tali admitted.

"Yeah. So erh... Do you-" Before Garrus could carry on with his question; Mads came back and sat down.

"Welcome back." Garrus remarked.

"Why thank you." Mads replied as he got comfortable.

They spent close to half-an-hour before they decided to play the local bar a visit. Mads paid for their meals, saying it was only fair. Tali and Garrus followed him to the bar. It was quite lively, considering it was a Tuesday, but maybe the Asari liked to drink every day of the week.

"Order what you would like." Mads told Garrus and Tali. Garrus was quick to order (perhaps) the most expensive drink there. Tali settled for a small glass of Turian wine. Pretty much the only thing she could enjoy.

Hours passed, and a few more drinks were ordered. They were having a pretty good time. Tali and Garrus waited for Mads to come with another set of drinks. Tali could faintly see the bar and she watched Romanov order the drinks and paying for them. Garrus was speaking to her, but she wasn't really paying close attention to what he was saying.

Tali eyes were on Mads the whole time, studying him as he payed the bartender. She saw an Asari approach him. Tali moved closer, not even paying any form of attention to Garrus. When she was in hearing range, she stopped.

"Hey there handsome." The Asari greeted with a smile as she came up to Mads.

"What's up?" Mads replied with a smile to the Asari.

A feeling washed over Tali. One she had felt before... What was it called? Envy? Jealousy? At any rate, in that very moment, her self-doubt wasn't there to tell her to back off. Garrus watched the scene unfold, and he realized something: They really did love each other, in some way at least.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Tali asked harshly as she grabbed the arm of the Asari and pulled her away.

"What do you want, suit rat?" The asari replied with just as hard an tone. Instead of backing off, Tali grew angrier.

"My people are not suit rats! You blue devils are racists! I won't tolerate it anymore!" Tali ranted. Mads intervened, and the more sane side of Tali silently thanked him for that.

"ALRIGHT! Hold up! Girls, calm the fuck down! Tali, I think we should leave." Mads suggested. In was in that moment that Tali realized how she had acted "Yes Captain." She replied in a low voice.

"And you! Don't you dare go around and call Quarians suitrats! You Asari think you are real special, don't ya? You think that because you live a little longer, and have some fancy biotics in your blood, you can fuck over other species? Fucking pricks." Mads ranted in a high voice that pretty much caught the attention of the entire crowd in the bar. The Asari backed down after that.

 _Mads gestured for them to go back to the Normandy. They had caused enough trouble for one day. At least they got the drinks to-go._


	41. Chapter 40: The Shadow Broker part 1

**Hey guys and gals!**

 **Here is another chapter for you guys to enjoy! Today (17th of June) marks a special day for me. It's now one year ago I posted the first three chapters of this story. And look at it now, 40 chapters strong. I'm so glad for all you, all the reviews you leave really do keep me going, so please keep it up.**

 **I have (Once again) broken a chapter up into two. Sorry about that, on the top side, next chapter should be out sometime next week.**

 **Kind regards**

 **KanisRussell.**

* * *

 **22/7 2185**

 **Illum**

Miranda was leading the way. She had a contact that would help her. Garrus was right beside Mads. Tali had been left back at the Normandy, considering the episode yesterday; it was probably for the best she stayed back. Mads had no idea what went through Tali's head yesterday, but he had a feeling it would have ended ugly. Still, he feared he might have given the wrong message to Tali, when he told her to stay back. He would have to correct that at some point.

Miranda spoke with the Asari contact she had. There had been a problem; her father was rushing his plan. Her contact, Niket or something, had warned them. She got the location of the men who wished to kidnap her sister.

Her father certainly had the resources. The Eclipse were by no means cheap and there were a lot of them. They even shot at their sky car as they flew around. They ceased their fire quickly however. Landing was not that comfortable, but it would do. The Merc leader came up to them as they got out of the car.

"What a warm welcome." Mads mumbled as he climbed out.

The Merc leader stopped a few yards before them. His goons had already lined up behind him. He looked smug, and way too sure of himself. "My contractor told me to give you guys one chance to walk away. You are getting it now."

"No deal. We are here for my sister!" Miranada replied. The Merc leader's face turned red at the rejection of, what his saw to be, a perfectly fair plan. Tension grew thick in the air and the Mercs slowly raised their firearms.

Mads' hand went to his belt and pretty much all the guns were pointed at them. Even the Merc leader equipped his pistol.

"Fellas! Please, calm down. I'm just getting a cigarette." Mads tried to reason. They did sort calm down a little, but when he reached for his concealed lighter, they trained their guns at them once again.

"Come on guys. We're just talking. And I can't smoke a cigarette without fire, can I?" Mads said as he showcased the lighter to them. Once again, they calmed down. "We can be reasonable, no need for this to end bloody."

"The deal stands, walk away and we won't harm you." The Merc said for a finally time as Mads gave fire to his own cigarette.

"It saddens me to hear that, I thought you were a sound businessman. Let's make another deal. You all walk away, and we get the sister. Everyone wins." Mads proposed. They all stared at him for a while to see if he was serious.

"Like I said, our deal is the only one that flies." The Merc leader said, presumably as a final note.

Mads sighed. "You drive a hard bargain. But, if that's the way it has to be, then so be it." Mads let out. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see both Garrus and Miranda looking at him confused. Did he just admit defeat? Would he just allow them to take her sister?

Mads began to holster his lighter and the Merc leader once again had a smug look on his face, believing he had won. Then, just as Mads had locked the zippo lighter to his belt, Mads did a quick draw. So quick that most people didn't even notice it. He fired a shot, and it was a bullseye to the throat of the Merc leader, who instantly fell to the ground with his hands locked around his own throat in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding.

The other Mercs were caught off guards. But Garrus and Miranda were quick to seize the opportunity and begin firing. It didn't take long for the rest of the Mercs to be either dead or seriously wounded. The Merc leader was still on the ground trying his damnest to stop the bleeding. Mads squatted down next to him and took an extra-long huff of his cigarette.

"I'd reckon.. You got maybe... 1-2 minutes left before you die. Now, the reason why you are dying, it's because of that good ol' sin... .What's it called? Ahhh yes, Pride. You see, I gave you a choice to walk away, and you didn't. That is why you are at death's door now. I hope hell suits you well, and be sure to tell the devil I'm coming for his ass next." Mads explained to the dying man, who pretty much kicked the bucket right after Mads was done speaking.

"God damn, Romanov. You just took everyone by surprise." Garrus said as he came up to Mads' side. Mads slowly closed the eyes of deceased Merc Leader.

"It's always about getting an edge." Mads replied as he got up. "Let's go kill the dipshits that want your sister" Mads ordered. Miranda nodded. "Thank you." She said silently.

Shooting, killing, running. That was what they did. When they came upon a radio, Miranda was able to patch them in and get them an update on what was going on. She even told Mads more in detail about her sister, and what she did. Deep down, Mads could understand, in some twisted fucked up way.

"Family is precious. I get that, I really do." Mads told her, and she knew what he meant. That look of understanding, it seemed to be new to her.

"What about this Niket fella, can he be trusted?" Mads asked as they rode an elevator up.

"Of course he can!" Miranda said like it was the dumbest question in the universe. "He is the closest friend I got, he helped me when one else would."

"And you're sure your father doesn't know about your friendship with Niket? He could be using him against you." Mads asked, he had to make sure. It wasn't about being rude, but if there was a chance, he had to know about it.

"No way in hell that is ever going to happen. He understands how my father is like." That should be it, case closed, right?

Another set of bad guys to shoot came upon them. Oh boy, her father was throwing numbers at this job. It was clear that this was something he wasn't about to let go. Maybe that was understandable, he had thrown many hours of research into creating Miranda and her sister. But sympathy for twisted guys was never really Mads' strong suit.

Then, in some fucked up irony, the radio once again came to life. The top Merc on the job spoke about Niket, and that he would be turned over the sister to them any moment now. Miranda was confused, trying to find an answer that wasn't there. Mads knew the Merc leader wasn't fucking with them.

And then, the doors opened. The satisfaction of being right wasn't sweet on Mads. Because Miranda was broken at the realization that Niket had turned on her. Niket also realized it was Miranda.

"Miri." He spoke, completely surprised to see her. It was clear he hadn't been properly briefly that she was headed his way. That Captain Enyala jumped off the crate.

"This should be fun."

"Niket! You snake! You sold me out?" Miranda asked, a hint of sadness in her voice. The betrayal had hit her hard.

"It wasn't about choice. You stole your sister!" Niket replied

"I recused her." Miranda corrected.

"Did you? You might think as much. There was a life of wealth waiting for her, and you took that from her! I know what it's like to be poor." Niket said in a rather harsh tone.

"Listen. Niket, you can still make this right. We are not without mercy. If you lie to Miranda's father and tell him you don't know where the kid is, we can let you walk. As simple as that." Mads promised.

"How do I know that deal is valid? That you won't just turn your back on me." Niket asked.

" _Judge not, and you will not be judged. Condemn not, and you will not be condemned... Forgive... And you will be forgiven._ Those are some note-worthy words from the bible. You will do well to remember them." Mads explained.

He seemed sold on the idea. "Okay. I'll do it."

"I don't want to see you ever again, Niket!" Miranda added.

Before Niket could reply, he was dead. "Done" Captain Enyala remarked after killing him.

"You bitch!" Miranda said as she went on the offensive. Garrus joined her. Mads sighed. It would always end in bloodshed. No matter what you proposed. Miranda and Garrus were locked in a trench war with Captain Enyala and her troops. Mads took the opportunity to sneak around. He was successful in doing so. He came up behind the captain. He pulled out his new knife. It was time to test how good it was.

He grabbed a hold of her forehead and turned her head up, exposing her throat. She dropped her weapon and attempted to struggle, right up until she felt the cold steel press against her throat. " _The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh."_ and then he slid her throat.

It was smooth with the new knife. She once again tried to stop the bleeding in a fruitless attempt. She did, however, stay on her feet. Mads decided to finish her off. He kicked her in the back, causing her to launch forward. Her waist touched the railing and she fell over, falling a long way down to her death.

That marked the end of that battle. Mads wiped the blood of the blade. _When will they ever learn?_ He thought, everything would be so much simpler if they didn't always overestimate their own abilities. If they would just listen to him, everything would have been so much better. That should go for everyone.

After the battle, they decided to go and check up on Miranda's sister, Oriana. They saw her with her old family. She was none the wiser over the fight for her that had occurred. She looked very happy, Miranda watched her.

"Aren't you going to say hi?" Mads asked as he stood by Miranda's side.

"She doesn't know me. And it would be dangerous if I let her know about me. This is how it should be. She gets to live the life I have always dreamed of." She replied. Mads tried to read her face, and saw that she was debating this herself.

"Family is everything. Family is who you die for. I think you should say hi, let her know she has a sister that cares about her. That can mean the world to her, and I think it can mean a lot to you as well." Mads persisted.

Miranda sighed. Then she nodded after a short period of silence. She began walking over to her sister. Mads didn't know what they talked about, but they seemed to smile and laugh together. That should close that chapter in the book. There was closure after all, and that made Mads smile. It was true, him and Miranda were by no means good friends, but they needed each other to finish this mission.

* * *

 **23/7 2185**

 **Normandy**

Mads had original planned the leave on this day, but something came up. Something _always_ comes up. The illusive man had been kind enough to send some very interesting information to him. The shadow Broker. The man/woman who was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

And Liara was hot on his/her tail. This information could give Liara the edge she needed. Now, the moral question remained. Should he give it to her? Would it make her feel better? Should he even care?

That did of course raise the question, if Liara killed the Shadow Broker, what would come after? What sort of aftermath should they expect? As far as Mads had understood, there has always been a Shadow Broker, and it seems certain that there always will be. So, what's the harm in letting Liara get a little revenge?

Why did he have to be her moral compass? It's not like he was much of a figure to look up to. Sometimes... Sometimes a little revenge can help people get over things, something it leaves them empty.

Either way, he was going to do it. He called up Garrus and they both walked to Liara's office on Illum. Liara was surprised to see them both there, unsure of what they wanted. Mads and Garrus both took a seat. Mads cleared his throat as Liara wanted patiently for him to speak.

"I know you are after the Shadow Broker, Liara." Mads stated. Liara was instantly interested.

"That is true." Liara replied as she shifted in her seat, eagerly waiting for what he had to say.

"Then you might find this little piece of information interesting." Mads remarked as he gave her a small hard disk with the information. Liara took a look at it after hooking it up to her terminal. She saw the information and was amazed by it. It showed different contractors for the Shadow Broker... But most of all... It showed someone she knew.

Feron was his name. "What's this Feron to you?" Mads asked as Liara looked over the picture. Studying it.

"He... He was my friend. He helped me." Liara replied.

"With what?" Mads pressed on.

Liara sighed. She probably realized she might as well tell the truth. "When you died... I was... I was lost. You had taken me under your wing; you were there for me when my mother died." Liara took a pause. She stood up from her chair and looked out the window over the Illum market square.

"For a time I went back to the way things were before. I was adrift for some time, until someone contacted me. I had never figured I would ever assist Cerberus, and I never thought they would seek help from someone who wasn't even human. I recovered your body from the Shadow Broker. He was going to sell it to the collectors. Cerberus put me up with Feron. I didn't think I could trust him for one bit, but in the end, he sacrificed himself for my safety." Liara explained.

"Jesus... I'm sorry Liara. I didn't know." Mads said. Unsure of what to make of the events that had taken place while he was dead.

"So you see, Romanov. I can't leave him for dead, not when I know he is alive."

"I understand, I really do."

"I'll need to research this. And I need some time alone."

"I'll come to your apartment later, we can speak about the next course of action." Mads said. Liara thought about it for a few seconds, before nodding. "Okay, I'll see you there." She stormed out. Mads simply leaned back in the chair.

* * *

Later that night, Mads and Garrus went to Liara's apartment. Only to find it a crime scene. Virtual police tape (that was pretty much as big a joke as the real thing) was set up. Officers were investigating the scene, looking for clues. Mads simply walked through the virtual tape, that reacted to him with a small alarm. The officers looked up at him and Garrus and ordered them to stop.

"Hey you there! You're not supposed to be here!" One of the officers barked. Mads just mimicked a jerking off gesture. The Asari officer looked confused at him.

"There are allowed here. You two are dismissed." A figure from the shadows ordered.

"But you can't do that!" The Asari officer protested.

"I just did. Now get out of here." Mads could see her now. She too was an Asari, although she did have some more fancy armor than the rest of them.

"And who are you?" Mads asked as he eyed the Asari walking down the stairs. The officers left the apartment.

"I'm Tela Vasir. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." She replied.

"A Spectre? Interesting." Mads remarked. What was a Spectre doing working a small time thing like this?

"It should be. But, I'm nothing compared to you, Captain Romanov." She said.

"You want me to give you an autograph?" Mads joked.

"Yeah sure, right here on my chest plate."

"Hehehehhe- Fuck you." Mads replied.

"So, tell me. Where you close to Dr. T'Soni?" Tela asked.

"We were friends. What happened?" Mads asked back, while taking a look around the apartment.

"Someone didn't like your friend. It seems like there was an attempted murder." She answered. "You're welcome to look around, we couldn't find any information on her current whereabouts."

"I will." Mads replied and began looking more around. The biggest thing was the bullet hole in the glass. "A sniper, high caliber." Mads remarked as he studied it.

"Someone really had it out for your friend. Had she been doing something to piss someone off?" Tela asked.

"Oh boy, hasn't she? She was an information broker. Could be a lot of people after her." Mads knew this was because of the Shadow Broker, but he wanted to see what the Spectre was after.

Mads looked further around the apartment, ignoring all the comments from the Asari Spectre as he looked for clues. Tela had stated that Liara had stuck around long enough to do something before she left. Mads knew it was probably to try and leave a message to him. He saw a piece of his old armor, he smiled as he saw it. Completely damaged, it's a wonder they could salvage him.

Then, he checked out her bedroom. And lo and behold, there was a small picture of the original Normandy. He picked it up to look closer at it, but it turned at his touch. It now showed a picture of Ilos. Interesting indeed. Mads began to look closer at the things in the apartment with Prothean background. He did so until he found what he was looking for. A small disk with a video, it showed the last conversation with a Salarian. It even gave him a location.

"No time to waste then." The Spectre said. Before they could leave the apartment, Mads grabbed Garrus' arm. "Keep an eye on her, I don't trust her." Mads whispered, just low enough so she couldn't hear it. Garrus nodded at the request, he had his own doubts about her.

* * *

When they arrived at the place, they were greeted by a bomb going off. It shook the ground they stood on, Mads almost lost his balance. "Looks like the party has already started." Mads remarked as people stormed out of now burning building.

"I'll fly up and start to look from there. You take the ground and work your way up." She ordered as she got back in the car.

"Yeah sure." Mads mumbled. "Looks like we get the ass end of this job." Mads remarked as he began to walk forward to the building. Garrus nodded and followed him inside. Someone had leaked her location, and if Mads were to make a qualified guess, it was the Spectre. Everything about her was... Rotten, in one way or another.

Smoke was filling the lobby, and the sound of a distorted voice over that was glitching out. The alarm had gone off as well and the lobby was filled with injured people. Most of the doors had locked, and the elevator was out. The only way up was the stairs.

And the dipshits who blew the bomb was still there as well, most likely to finish the job and clear up any loose ends. The shadow broker liked it that way. Mads and Garrus took cover behind one of the walls as Mads equipped his AK. He checked the mag to see if it was full, and then he peaked around the corner.

Garrus and Mads fought their way through the building, taking each corridor with ease, yet with caution. Mads was sure to check every room for signs of Liara. The continued to move up, and with each corridor came a new set of agents send straight from the Shadow Broker.

While the agents were good (The Shadow broker didn't buy anything cheap) they simply weren't as good as Mads and Garrus. Mads could see how good Garrus was becoming, in fact, he would even go as far as to say Garrus could lead almost as well as Mads. However, Garrus couldn't motive his fellow troops as well as Mads, in there lies the problem.

They came to a door, and while they began opening it, they heard a gunshot on the other side. Mads held a firm grip on his AK as the door slowly opened. It revealed the Salarian, Sakat was his name, dead on the ground. The agent, who killed him, had been killed by Tela.

"Damn, if only I had been a second faster." She remarked. Mads could sense a lie, there was writing on the wall.

When Mads didn't respond, she went to another topic. "Did you find the body of your friend?"

And... Almost on cue, Liara showed up, right behind them. Almost like she had a teleporter or something like that.

"You mean this body?" Liara asked as she pointed her gun at Tela. Either Liara had the same feeling as Mads. Or, more likely, she had information he hadn't. So Mads didn't take Tela's side.

"This is the woman who tried to kill me!" Liara said, not even realizing Mads had taken her side already.

"You had a rough day, put the gun down." Tela commanded. Yet she took a few steps backwards.

"I saw you break into my apartment after I left. Don't act innocent." Liara replied.

"I knew there was something rotten about you." Mads said as he pulled out his magnum and pointed it at the Spectre.

"Thanks for the help by the way." Tela said.

"She the one who called the Shadow Broker's men here. They bombed the place. She even beat me to Sekat and stole the data. She still has the disk."

"That's right, but you won't ever see its content." Tela used her biotic powers to crush the window behind her and use the glass to try and kill them. Luckily, Liara was fast as well. She formed a biotic shield, keeping them safe from the flying sharp glass pieces.

When Tela saw this, she made a run for it. Trying to make it to the window and jump out. Mads ran after her and managed to spoil her plan, even if it was only by a little. He threw them both out the window, yet he didn't count on her using her biotics to land safely. Mads had biotics, but he hadn't learned all the things yet. And he hardly ever used them.

 _He landed hard on the ground, letting out a grunt of pain as he landed. Liara jumped down as well as began to run after Tela. Mads took a few moments to get on his feet again._


	42. Chapter 41: The Shadow Broker part 2

Mads got back on his feet. It was time to get that bitch. Liara had already taken off to get her, and only the lord knows how far ahead they were. No matter, he would catch up. There were still agents in the way, trying their best to stop him. Mads decided to equip his back up pistol, one he simply hadn't shown enough love yet.

 _Desert Eagle .50_

A fine Israeli weapon. The weight felt right in his hand. In theory, this should be more powerful than his 44. But, it shouldn't have the same kickback. It was a semi-automatic weapon. When the first agent showed his ugly face, Mads got off the first shot. The kickback was still substantial, but it felt good.

Mads and Garrus fought their way forward, taking out the Shadow Broker's goons on the way. They added to the already growing body count, the civilians who had been trapped when they entered, were now dead. It's was sad thing to see.

For some reason, Mads began to wonder how much money it would cost to restore the place. It wouldn't be cheap, and the police would ask some interesting questions to the owner once this was all said and done.

Ammo went quick on the Deagle. In and out, the magazines fell. It was really effective at penetrating the armor of the enemies. No wonder, it was a fucking .50 if anything, it was still one of the most powerful handguns the world (or galaxy) had ever known.

When they finally got out of the building, they noticed it had started raining. Liara was bunked down in some sort of trench warfare with the Spectre. That whole ordeal must have been going on while they were taking care of business inside. At any rate, the Spectre noticed them and called for her skycar.

Liara opened the door to another sky car and gestured for them to come in. Mads sat down in the driver seat while Garrus took the back seat.

"Do you even know how to fly a sky car?" Liara asked a bit nervous. Mads looked at her and smiled.

"There is a first time for everything." He replied as he lifted it off. Liara and Garrus tensed up at that set of words.

Things were smooth sailing once he figured out most of the controls. They began to fly after the Spectre. Mads grabbed the Deagle in his holster and gave it to Garrus.

"You take shots at her. The mag is loaded with with 7 rounds plus one in the chamber, so make it count. It's got a kick, but you'll be able to handle it." Mads ordered. The gun felt unnatural in Garrus' 3 fingered hand, but he would try he luck anyhow. Liara began giving instruction on where to go, when he should take a left or right.

"I got eyes in my head, you know." Mads bitterly said as he continued driving against traffic to catch up and give Garrus a good shot. If Mads' theory was correct, a single shot to the engine should be enough to take it out of action, the car wasn't armored against full metal jacket rounds. Garrus let off a couple of shots, but they were all misses.

Whatever damage had been caused to the building they were in was nothing compared to the damage to the wider city. It was clear that the native population wasn't used to high speed chases through traffic. And then, the bitch began dropping fucking mines! Of course she did.

And the Shadow Broker was still throwing numbers at this job, the trucks bearing soldiers attempted to take their lives as well. A crash in the tunnel was sure to stop traffic for the coming days. The city council was sure to be pissed once they received the news.

Things continued to be tense as the came against high speed traffic, and the drivers were unforgiving in their flying. They didn't slow down or try to avoid a crash. Luckily, they didn't die in a crash. And Garrus finally got a shot in. He hit the engine and the Spectre's car began to shut down. Almost as if to add dramatic effect, the car crashed down in a hotel.

"Set us down." Liara ordered. Mads nodded and brought the car to a halt and set them down at the Hotel where the Spectre had landed. They could still see the burning car when they got out, but some other guests were more than eager to greet them. The goons came in trucks, and almost in waves to try and overwhelm them in some way. Too bad they always overestimate their abilities.

Garrus hadn't given back the Deagle, but Mads didn't really notice as he fired off his AK into the agents storming at them. Garrus had actually grown to like it, very much so. It was really accurate and had a good kick to it. He began to try and form some sort of request to Romanov to try and keep the gun.

"Romanov! Throw me a new mag!" Garrus requested as some of the agents closed in his position.

"WHAT? You still got the gun?" Mads yelled back at him as he checked his back holster, and sure enough, he hadn't claimed it back.

"JUST FUCKING THROW IT!" Garrus all but demanded. Mads unbuckled a magazine from his belt and threw it to Garrus. An agent sneaked up on him while he was distracted throwing the magazine.

The agent tried to overpower Mads. Mads silently cursed Garrus for making him let his guard down. Garrus began battling with changing the magazine. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU RELOAD THIS THING?! Garrus yelled, Mads continued fighting the agent; he managed to land a punch in the jaw of the agent, causing the agent to stumble a few steps backwards.

"PUSH THE BUTTON!" Mads yelled back, only to be tackled by the same agent again, who had now equipped his knife to try and kill Mads quicker.

"WHAT BUTTON?" Garrus was still confused, and he didn't like learning while fighting. Trial and error wasn't really his thing.

"THE BUTTON AT THE TOP OF THE GRIB!" Mads struggled with the agents, who had straddled him and tried to bring his omni-blade down on Mads' throat.

"Ah, I see." Garrus mumbled to himself as the empty mag fell out. He quickly shoved the new one inside. He tried to fire, but nothing.

"WHAT IS WRONG!?" Garrus asked as he kept pulling the trigger, yet yielding no results

"PULL THE CHAMBER BACK!" Mads ordered as he finally managed to force the agent off him and kill him with a biotic kick. As Mads got up, he noticed a very large Krogan coming towards him. Correction: A very large _angry_ Krogan. Who appeared to be on the same team as the agents.

"GARRUS!" Mads yelled as he stepped back and prepared for whatever charge the Krogan had in mind for him. Finally a shot was heard, and the Krogan stumbled a few feet and looked towards the source.

Garrus had reloaded it. If they had been on the gun range, it would have earned him a pad on the back. But here, it was between life and death. Garrus emptied the clip into the Krogan. And it was obvious that each shot hurt the Krogan. Each shot forced the Krogan to take several steps backwards. With the final shots, the Krogan could no more, and his lifeless corpse fell to the ground.

Mads watched the whole thing, and was both glad and pissed off at the same time. He resorted to breathing heavy to catch up with the lack of air in his lungs.

"You need a hand?" Garrus asked as Mads still lied on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Remind me to hit you very hard in the head with that Deagle once we are back on the Normandy." Mads said with a semi-serious voice as he got back up.

"Come on, she must be getting away!" Liara ordered as she stormed through a set of doors. Mads and Garrus set after her. The Spectre was wounded, and couldn't have gotten far. The hotel was... Interesting to say the least.

"Liara, mind explaining what kind of hotel this is?" Mads asked as they walked through the rooms following a blood trail.

"Azure. It's a slang for a certain part of the Asari body." Liara replied as they went along.

"Ah, I see." Mads said, catching on in an instant.

"What?" Garrus asked.

"We'll tell you when you are older." Mads remarked as they saw the Spectre. She Stumbled into a small dinner party while still losing blood. She was hurt bad, but she was still tough. They hurried after her.

"Vasir! Party's over. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be." Masd ordered. Vasir stopped and thought of her next move. Mads' grip on his 44. Tightened as he realized she was doing what they always did, continuing to persist.

Of course it had to be some innocent waiter, just doing her job. Of course it had to turn into a hostage situation. She wanted to play tough? Mads could play that game. He took aim as Liara attempted to explain to Vasir there was no way out of this.

Vasir was dumb enough to stick out just enough of her head for Mads to take a shot. He hadn't been crowned best marksman in the N7 program for nothing. While Liara was in dialog, Mads took the shot. It wasn't a kill, but it crazed her, and forced her to release the hostage as she felt the sharp pain.

She stumbled back and brought her hand to head. Her fingers were covered in more of her own blood from the fresh wound. Her new scar looked awfully familiar to Mads'. Only his was a bit larger.

She ordered more agents to come to her aid in this battle. The fought in the outside area of the hotel restaurant. Every once in a while, Vasir would leave the battle, probably to try and heal herself. The goons fought to the bitter end.

"Give it up, Vasir! It's over! No need for further bloodshed." Mads yelled at her.

"Fuck you Romanov!" She replied with a yell over the roar of gunfire.

"So be it!" Mads lifted himself from cover and took the final shot. It was an explanation mark to finalize the battle. The impact send her flying backwards. The shot had hit in the chest. Whatever she did now, she would die. And she realized that, and probably accepted her fate.

Garrus and Liara killed off the rest of the agents. By this point, they must have killed at least 2 platoons worth of Mercs on the Shadow broker's playroll. Vasir's hand tried to stop the bleeding, she realized she had run out of Medi-gel. She spit out some blood and grinding her teeth together as the pain became more and more unbearable.

Mads hummed a song as he squatted down beside her. He began to check her pocket for the data. Just as he found it and began retract his hand, her free hand grabbed his wrist and held on with the remaining strength she had.

"You and I-" She spit out some more blood and coughed a bit "We aren't so different. You kill and destroy too." She remarked. Finding some peace in that her killer wasn't so different from her.

"You're wrong." Mads replied softly as he loosened her grip. "We are very different. Today, you killed countless innocent people, for no other purpose than to please your master." Mads pocketed the data. "I do everything for a higher purpose. The real difference between you and me however, is that I was chosen."

"By who? Cerberus? You know what they did?" She asked, her dying breath drew ever closer.

"I know it very well. I was the one who discovered what they had been doing. But, I'll let you in on a little secret. As soon as this mission is over, I'll fuck them over." Mads whispered into her ear. He took out his magnum and opened the chamber. The empty shells hit the ground and he equipped his speed loader. After he had reloaded the gun, he pointed it at her head and locked the hammer back.

She closed her eyes and prepared for whatever comes next. A simple boom and her lifeless corpse fell to the ground. Whatever blood she had left pouring out of her at a rapid pace. Mads stood back up, and held the small disk in his hand. All this trouble, for such a little thing.

Mads looked around, and saw Garrus waiting for him. Liara had run ahead while he was busy speaking with the dying Spectre. Mads ran up to Garrus, who quickly told him where Liara had gone. Mads ran after her, and found her a little way back.

"Liara! Vasir is dead" Mads told her as he slowed down his running. Liara seemed lost in her omni-tool.

"Good. If we get on the Normandy, we can get right on it." Liara replied.

"Liara!" Mads prompted her to stop. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked as he stepped in front of her.

"I do what I have to! I NEED to get my friend back!" She almost yelled.

"What do you think is going to happen when you kill the Shadow Broker?" Mads asked, a legitimate question.

"I get my revenge, and my friend gets free." She replied.

"What happened to the sweet innocent Liara? The one who almost threw up when I gutted a terrorist? The one who wanted the best for everyone?" Mads continued his row of questions.

"You died!"

"AND HERE I AM! Back along the living!"

"Look, I'm glad you are back, but-"

"But what?"

"Never mind, let's just get Feron." She pleaded, even though she tried to make it sound like an order. There were still traces of the old Liara left.

"Ugh. Fine!" Mads accepted.

* * *

 **24/7 2185**

 **Normandy, nearing Hagalaz**

"Pleeeeeeaaassseeee!" Garrus all but begged as he followed Mads around as he was making a coffee by the food station.

"Jesus H Christ, Garrus. For the seventeenth time: NO!" Mads replied, hoping it would put an end to the discussion. Garrus REALLY wanted the Desert Eagle. And Mads could understand why, but it was his gun.

"Please! I'll do everything!" He promised. Mads looked up at him to see if he was serious or not.

"Everything?" Mads asked.

"Yeah, everything." Garrus confirmed.

"Okay. I give you this gun, and you owe me a favor down the line, doesn't matter how big." Mads proposed.

Garrus thought about it for a few seconds. "Okay, deal." Garrus finally said, and they shook hands. Mads went back to making his coffee. "The Deagle is in my quarters. Go up and get it. You need to provide your own ammo and holster." Mads remarked.

"I can live with that." Garrus replied as he went to get his new gun.

"Hey, before you go!" Mads stopped him. Garrus turned around and looked at him confused. "Getting .50 Action Express bullets isn't easy, nor is getting a holster big enough for that beast of a gun." Mads took a notepad and wrote down a contact number, alongside some basic information. "When you need ammo, call this numbers."

"Sergei?" Garrus asked as his translator gave him the name so he could read it.

"He can get you everything you need." Mads confirmed and took a sip of his coffee.

"Thanks." Garrus said as he hurried off again. Mads turned around and took another sip of his coffee. He decided to go and find Liara.

* * *

 **Engnieering department.**

Tali had supposed to be doing work, but her mind had been clouded ever since that little incident the other day. She was worried her pride had taken over too much, causing a shift in what Romanov thought of her. She feared what he might think now. That fear had grown after he hadn't taken her with him on the last mission. And now, he was going to face the Shadow Broker with Garrus and Liara. Not with her.

"You okay Tali?" Gabriella asked with great concern in her voice. She had noticed Tali's different behavior recently.

"I'm fine. What time is it?" Tali asked back. She had to admit, she had kind of lost track of time while working. Gabriella looked at her omni-tool.

"Your shift ended like two hours ago." Gabriella said as she realized the time as well. Tali mentally slapped herself, of course she had worked over time.

"Alright, I think I'll go get some rest." She remarked.

"Of course. See you tomorrow." Gabriella replied with a smile as Tali went away.

Tali went up to the mass. Watching people enjoying their evening meals. Mads was sitting down and talking with Liara while sipping his coffee. Liara seemed much colder this time around, but Mads still tried to make her smile. Jealousy is a powerful emotion, and right now it was eating away at Tali.

She had to tell him, at some point. She figured, that once the Shadow Broker was dead, she could tell him.

She had an idea, and was now keen on getting it done. She went to the reading room. She began to browse her omni-tool for what she was looking for. She found it pretty quickly. She would spend the night looking into it.

* * *

They finally arrived at the ship. And it was huge. In a sense, they should have realized that. It was the Shadow Broker after all. The shuttle flew them in close, the storm was making it hard, landing on the ship was even harder.

Lightning and agents were now what they faced, and Mads wasn't sure what he hated more. But, the lighting could be used against the agents, and it made for a glorious scene when it happened. Liara made a comment about the ship's design, and it was grand. Drones and Mercs alike were out for them, trying their hardest to kill them.

Mads began to wonder how many agents the Shadow Broker had on the vessel, and if he had called in more. The smoke from the gun was blown away quick by the wind, and Mads for some reason or another, remembered that it was possible to cook bacon on the barrel of an AK. He might have to try that one day.

The bullets were caught by the wind as well before they could hit the ground. Garrus tried out his new gun some more, and Mads could see, that each time he pressed that trigger, he fell more in love with the beauty of the Desert Eagle. More people came out of the ship as Liara began to hack open the door.

"Look in the bright side, there will be less Mercs inside." Liara remarked as they fought of another wave of Mercs.

"I wouldn't count on it." Mads replied as he placed a couple of bullets in a merc who stumbled on the ground. The Shadow Broker really had resources, the amount of people that worked for him kept on baffling Mads.

Mads kept on firing. But he ran out of bullets in the mag, and yet two Mercs kept on charging after their terminal clips had run empty as well. Mads unhocked the mag as the two thugs tried to take him out with their omni-blades. Mads used the sharp edge of the mag to cut the throat of one of them, but the other Merc didn't stop because of his friend's death.

So, Mads resorted to beating the man to death, with a fucking magzine for his rifle. A creative kill for sure. Liara and Garrus both looked as Mads as he pounced the Merc and kept beating him with the Merc's blood pouring out of his mouth.

"Erh... Romanov. I think the hacking device is finished." Liara said as Mads stopped beating the caved in face. His mag was bloody and still dripping with the Merc's blood.

"Oh... Well, let's go see the Shadow Broker." Mads replied as he got off from the Merc.

They went inside, and true to Mads' words, there was still quite a bit of agents inside. The battle environment changed, now it was hallways. Good thing Mads brought the shotgun along. And it did come in handy for these hallways. Blood splattered on the walls and limbs disconnected from their hosts made the place seem straight out of a core movie.

They sought shelter inside a side room. Mads locked the door behind as the Merc pounded on the door, trying to get in and kill them. As Mads locked the door, he heard a yelp from Liara, he looked over at her and saw her hands covering her mouth as she watched in horror.

"Garrus, watch the door. Don't let any of those meatheads get in." Mads ordered. Garrus was quick to get on it.

Mads went over to Liara's side and saw what had caused her such horror. It was Feron, strapped to a chair. Liara began to press buttons to try and release him. "Liara!" Mads tried to stop her, she only stopped when she heard Feron's screams of pain.

"The chair is hocked up to the main power of the vessel. If you pull me out, I'll cook." Feron said. Mads could swear Liara had tears in her eyes.

"We'll take care of the Shadow Broker, not to worry." Mads promised as he pulled Liara away from the console.

"Romanov… Good to see you alive. Now I know my sacrifice wasn't in vain." Feron laughed. Trying not to sound too depressed.

"I got you, Feron. Just sit right... Not that you can do much else." Mads realized that comment probably wasn't the smartest.

"Funny." Feron replied sarcastically.

* * *

They stepped into the office of the Shadow Broker. His hallways were filled with the remains of his security detail. He was big, even in that shadows that much was obvious. "Dr. T'Soni. You are persistent. At least I can get the joy of killing you myself." He said. Mads was still trying to piece together what species he was. He didn't look like any Mads had ever seen, or read about.

"I see you brought The Red Eagle to my doorstep as well. That was nice of you. The collectors are still buying. And what's this? Mr. Vakarian. I'm sure I can find a use for him as well. I think the remains of the Merc gangs will pay well for his head." The Shadow said as he studied them all.

"This ends here." Liara remarked.

"Foolish, like always, Dr. T'Soni." the Shadow Broker replied.

"Really? You are not the real Shadow Broker." Liara said. Mads could see the eyebrow of the Shadow Broker rise.

"You're a Yahg. Your species was exiled from the wider Galaxy for killing the people sent to visit you. This ship is older than your species discovery. That means that the previous owner had uplifted you, probably to be used as a slave." Liara explained. With each word, the Shadow Broker grew more mad. Mads remembered reading about the Yahg, he had never seen one.

The Shadow Broker arose from his seat, and flipped the table. It knocked Garrus over; he was trapped beneath the table. There was no time to help him however, because now the Shadow Broker was really out for blood.

The Shadow Broker had some sort of shield, keeping him save from Mads' bullets. Liara and Mads needed to team up their biotic abilities to kill this prick. Still, they tried to overpower his shield. That's the only way to get at him. Despite him being a dipshit sitting on his ass all day watching over the galaxy, he was still a strong fighter. Must be natural to Yahg.

The finally got the shield down, and Mads sprinted to the Shadow Broker that was still trying to get it back. Mads used his AK as a baseball bat, knocking him around. Mads landed a few good hits before the Shadow threw him away. The shield was back again.

They kept up their game, each time the shield was coming back. They needed a new game plan if they were to kill him. At least his goons weren't gunning for them right now, that's was a plus. Just as the shield broke again, Garrus yelled while he was trapped beneath the table. He had woken up by himself.

"ROMANOV! CATCH!" Garrus yelled as he threw Mads' auto shotgun to him.

Mads charged again, but this time he shot out the kneecaps of the Shadow Broker, making him stumble and fall on his back on the ground. Mads jumped on his stomach and pointed the shotgun at the Shadow Broker's face. "Go to hell, fuckface." Mads said as he began to empty his mag into the face of the Shadow Broker. After the first couple of shots, there wasn't a lot of _face_ left on the Shadow Broker.

Liara had to make sure, and of course she had to break the celling on him. It was fair to say that the Shadow Broker was no more. The power began to fade, and now the Shadow Broker's contacts were trying to get in contact with him.

Liara did something Mads hadn't anticipated. She became the Shadow Broker. She took control; she fooled them into believing she was the Shadow Broker. It was smart, but also sad. She was now bound to be the Shadow Broker.

Feron came running into the room. "You're- You're the Shadow Broker." He was surprised as well. Feron went down and helped Garrus up, while Mads went to Liara. She was sobbing now, everything finally caught up to her. This mission took its toll on her.

Mads hugged her, and told her everything was going to be okay. He needed to, and she needed it. He let her cry it out in his shoulder. Liara confirmed after they broke the hug, that she wanted this. She wanted to become the Shadow Broker.

What. The. Fuck. Happened.

The million dollar question, one Mads didn't have an answer to. Now, Liara was going to be the Shadow Broker, a person who stays neutral. Gives information to whoever pays the best.

* * *

As Liara got things under control. Mads had the time to look around the office. There was so much information. New business opportunities and videos of high ranking officials. All in here could be used as black mail.

The Shadow Broker had made a file on the Normandy and its crew. He had taken an interest in Mads. And of course, he knew all about him. It was all there: birthdate, the names of his family, his service history. Even old videos and pictures. How in the hell did he get his dirty Yahg hands on them?

Mads had to admit, curiosity got the better of him as he looked through each of his crew members file in the office of the Shadow Broker. They all had interesting things to say. Especially... Tali. Her file was interesting and colorful to say the least. Certain things like:

Upgraded translator software for all human languages

Installed suit application, Nerve-Stim Pro

Downloaded education vid, "Dealing with Loss"

Uninstalled suit application, Nerve-Stim Pro

Reinstalled suit application, Nerve-Stim Pro

Downloaded education vid, "Understanding Body Language: Human Edition"

Downloaded entertainment vid, "Fleet and Flotilla"

Uninstalled suit application, Nerve-Stim Pro

Downloaded education vid, "Human Courtship and Mating"

Installed suit application, Immunoboost: Professional Edition

Reinstalled suit application, Nerve-Stim Pro: Deluxe Edition

While all these things showed a certain side of Tali. They didn't prove anything, Mads couldn't be certain, at least not until he read the last part.

-Downloaded education vid "History of Russia 1613-1917"

\- Downloaded education book "Russian for beginners"

This proved it, and it showed that Mads needed to get his act together. If Tali was willing to learn Russian for him, then he should be prepared to learn Khelish for her. It was settled, all but written in stone.

God had been right, and Mads was happy. Like, really happy. And love flowed through him with this confirmation. It had been a long time since he had been so... Alive.

That's why he spent the night in his quarters with a whiskey in one hand and a cigarette in the other. All while watching a beginner tutorial for Khelish. He began to try and form some sort of love declaration in his mind. It had to be special, in some way or another.

He had planned to tell her the next day, but the Illusive man put that plan on hold. What a fucking cunt.

 _Mads had to admit: An abandoned collector ship was indeed relevant for the mission._


	43. Chapter 42: Abandoned

**A/N: Hey Guys!**

 **A few things I wanted to say:**

 **First off, I'm afraid this story won't be done before august. With the ways things look now, and how slowly I update, it simply isn't possible. However, I can say that with how things are looking right now, the story will probably reach around a 100 chapters in length.**

 **And second: I thank all of you who leave reviews and PM me. I have received heartwarming messages and I can't begin to describe to happy they make me feel. I thank you all.**

 **Kind regards**

 **KanisRussell.**

* * *

 **25/7 2185**

 **Abandoned Collector ship.**

"This place is like a fucking beehive." Mads complained as they walked with careful steps. For all they knew, these walls were alive and ready to strike them at any moment.

"What's a beehive?" Garrus asked. Still staying close to Mads and Tali as they made their way forward.

"Never-fucking-mind." Mads muttered as they pressed on. The whole place seemed haunted in its nature.

And then there were the whole thing with love. Mads had wanted to tell Tali, but now simply wasn't the time. They had a job to do. Tali did seem happy to be back on the squad. But to break this train of thought: Whatever make-shift holster Garrus had created for the Deagle looked fucking dumb, and Mads began to regret giving the gun in the first place.

But, this vessel seemed off in every way. They just packed up left? Why would they do that? And why would a Turian patrol vessel find it, and then disable it? Where was it now? So many questions, so few answers. Best they could do was try and get some information while they had the chance.

"Something is off. Keep your eyes peeled." Mads ordered as they came to what appeared to be a console. A collector body was strapped to a table. Mads plugged Edi into the console.

"Edi. Can you make sense of this?" Mads asked. He kept on coming with different possible answers, yet none of them fitted. Why were they taking the humans in the first place? To test them? Edi took a few moments to go through all of the data that was there.

"They were testing for a lot of things, though there is no mention of what they were looking for. But, there is something else to note." Edi began explained.

"Go ahead, Edi." Mads said. Eagerly waiting what Edi had to say.

"The Collectors share DNA with the Protheans." Edi finished. Mads took a moment to think. Garrus and Tali seemed to do the same thing.

"You mean-" Mads started.

"They are no longer Protheans. They have been heavily modified." Edi informed. Like that was any help.

"And now they are slaves. This is what they want to do to us humans, isn't it?" Mads asked, already knowing the answer. Tali placed a hand on Mads' shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"I'm sorry." She said. Mads placed his hand upon hers.

"Me too. Let's get some more information. We need to stop this." Mads ordered. Both Garrus and Tali nodded.

* * *

 **FP _Glory_ , 'Outer Heaven' vessel**

William looked over the map of the galaxy as he took a sip from his coffee. Things had become rather dull since making a truce with Cerberus, something he never had thought he would do. He took a moment to reflect on everything that had happened in his life up to this point. Namely his failures.

He sighed at his own stupidity. At how easily he had been convinced to join Cerberus back then. And he was ever glad for the man who showed him the truth. Corporal Toombs had never been a man of many words; William hardly knew his name back then. Yet, he had survived as well. He had gotten a different treatment from Cerberus.

William had no idea where Toombs was now. Probably reliving the terrors he had experienced. William's heart went out to him, and he hoped that one day he would find peace. For William, the only peace he was going to get was a Cerberus-free world.

William had cursed Romanov when he saw that he worked for Cerberus. He wanted nothing more than to punch him, break his jaw or something. He used to look up to the bastard! Yet now, he can understand why he did it. For now, he would accept the status quo.

One of his crew members pulled him from the deep thoughts he was having. "Sir! You need to see this!" The Salarian said as he presented a disk with information.

"What is it, Irsall?" William asked, instantly curious about the matter.

"We have intercepted a call from a small freighter that claims to have seen something remarkable." Irsall replied with excitement.

"Well... What is it?" William asked slightly annoyed over the pause.

"A cruiser of unknown design, whoever, the description sounds a lot like a collector vessel." He answered, almost jumping around.

"How do you know that?" William asked confused.

"We pulled a scan on the cruiser on Horizon. I am almost 100 % positive." He reassured.

"Alright, let's go take a look. This is bigger than Cerberus. This is our problem as well." William ordered.

"Yes sir!" Irsall said as he saluted.

* * *

 **Abandoned Collector ship.**

"Romanov?" Joker's voice called over the radio.

"Yeah?" Mads asked back as they went deeper into the collector vessel.

"Edi performed an interesting scan. You might want to hear what she has to say." Joker continued.

"Go ahead Edi." Mads approved.

"Well, according to data recorded by the previous Normandy before it's destruction. This vessel is identical to the vessel that attacked the Normandy 2 years ago. With a 98,7 % probability rate." Edi explained over the radio. Mads had to stop up and think about it.

"God damn. The same ship has been on my ass for two years? There is something shady going on here. Do the collectors have more than one vessel?" Mads asked.

"There is no data to tell from." Edi replied.

"Alright. Thanks Edi." Mads said as he pressed on. They walked through the corridors that seemed to almost press down on them. This entire place felt off, and it was didn't have a welcome feel to it. Mads kept himself on guard the entire time, ready to shoot whatever would move.

The whole situation seemed off, that's what he kept thinking. His gut feelings had never let him down before, why should it start now? Once he was done here, he would have a serious talk with the Illusive man about what he knew.

Walking into a huge hall, Mads was baffled at what he saw. Thousands upon thousands of pods, able to contain humans. Never ending rows of them, on the ground, on the walls and on the celling. Mads was speechless at he stopped to observe what the hell it was.

"Spirits! There must be hundreds of thousands here!" Garrus remarked. He was also quite baffled by the sight, and what the collectors had planned.

"More than enough to target all human colonies." Tali added, only realizing now how much this must be effecting Romanov.

"They're going after earth." Mads said in a sad tone. "Let's get what we came for." Mads ordered. They both agreed and hurried forward. They finally found the center console. This should tap them into the database and look for interesting things.

"Hooking you up now, Edi." Mads said as he entered some commands on the console. Edi began to search the database for anything useful.

"You two, keep a close watch. We haven't seen a trace of the collectors since boarding, something doesn't add up." Mads ordered.

"On it, Romanov!" Garrus said as he began to secure the surrounding area. Tali joined him.

"Edi, what have you learned?" Mads asked impatiently as he took off the safety of his AK.

Suddenly a loud bang went off, things were shaken up. The pods and a lot of things on the wall began moving around. The program seemed to glitch out on the console.

"What is going on!?" Mads demanded an answer over the radio to the Normandy.

"Power surge by the looks of it." Joker replied.

"Everything alright?" Mads asked.

"I managed to re-route the overload to non-critical systems. But... It wasn't a fault in the system. I believe it to be a trap." Edi explained.

"Fuck me." Mads remarked. The platform beneath them starting flying upwards. "This just gets better and better." Mads said. "Edi, any help?" Mads asked, hoping she would be able to do something, well... Anything would be nice.

"Someone else is in the system, I can't keep up connection." She said as the platform came to a halt. It knocked both Garrus and Tali off their feet and left Mads scrambling for balance. And then they saw them. Those asshats coming to kill them. Of course the collectors had set up a trap, and of course Mads had to walk head on into it.

"I got connection again. I have to finish the download before I can override any other systems." Edi said.

"Make it quick, will you?" Mads ordered as he took cover behind the console.

Those bugs wanted a fight? They sure as hell got it. The fight started off well, Mads got off a couple of headshots, and took out several more. Garrus was hard at work sniping them out, keeping himself safe behind cover. Tali slowly made her way a bit forward, in order to get a close range with her shotgun. She flew up her purple and pink drone, one she had named _Chatika vas Paus,_ which Mads thought was kind of cute.

Mads gave suppressing fire to support Tali's way forward. She took position and stood ready for one of the collectors to come close enough. She didn't have to wait long before surprising a unaware collector and blasting its face off. She took the opportunity to move forward, and Mads followed. Garrus also changed position.

Mads noticed a collector began to sneak up on Tali. A rage burned through him as he realized that the collector was going to succeed if he didn't do something quick. Mads acted quick, and took the knife that was strapped to his boot. He hoped that he was still as good as he used to be.

With a shift throw, the knife was planted right in one of the eyes of the collector. It stumbled around confused at what had just happened. Until it fell dead on the ground. Mads quickly rushed over to Tali and took out the knife from the skull of the collector. Edi kept updating them with the progress she was making with the Data.

They continued fighting. They fought well, like they always do. A grand team, Mads smiled at the thought as he reloaded his rifle. By this rate, he would have to contact Sergei for a new ammo supply. And he did miss a backup pistol. He looked over at Garrus, who wore the Deagle proudly in his ugly ass holster.

Mads used his biotics to throw a bunch of them over the railing. Watching them fall to their death was oddly satisfying. "Edi! You done yet?" Mads asked as he kept on holding them off. This Harbinger was getting on his nerves. There was something about that thing; it kept on taking control of random collectors.

"Yes" was the simple reply was Edi. "I have regained control of the platform." She proclaimed.

"Fucking finally." Mads said as he went over the console once again. "Anything useful?" He asked as he leaned against the table it was standing on. Edi began to fly the platform away.

"I found data that could help us to navigate beyond the Omega 4 relay. And something else..." She replied.

"What is it?" Mads asked confused.

"The Turian distress call that lured us here. The collectors made it." She replied.

"Is that so hard to imagine?" Mads asked further in a confused tone.

"That's not what I mean. The Turians used secondary decryption for their calls. This message was corrupted. It is not possible that the illusive man would fall for it." Edi said.

"That fucking prick! Made us walk head first into a ambush!" Mads stated in a very angry tone. "I'm gonna have a word or two with him once I get back!" Mads promised.

"Now we just have to get out of here." Garrus broke in and said. "Yeah, you're right." Mads agreed. "Let's get a move on."

"Ehhhh... Captain? There is another problem. The ship is powering up." Joker informed.

Mads gestured for them to get a move on. "I don't have full control. I'll provide whatever assistance I can." Edi promised. They began to move out, and Edi barked instructions on where to go, and doing her best to open whatever doors where in the way.

What she couldn't change, was the amount of collectors gunning for them. They kept coming, mostly from out of nowhere. Flying in and joining the fight against Mads, Tali and Garrus. Moving and shooting became the order. Garrus had taken out his Deagle and fired off a few rounds. It was clear he really loved that gun.

The collectors threw everything they had at them. And they had a lot to pull from. Anything from soldiers to those flying creatures. Mads hoped they would make it out in one piece, but every time they went around a corner and a new set of foes appeared, that hope would fade a bit away.

And they finally came to a door Edi couldn't open right away. The enemies stacked up, more and more joining the battle to aid their friends. Mads was beginning to run out of mags, Tali and Garrus both were running on low thermal clips.

Yet, they kept fighting. They had to. Faith and hope were driving them, even when things were beginning to look really dark. As the battle carried on, they became more and more surrounded. Enemies kept on pouring in.

Then, when all looked really grim. A shot was heard. It echoed throughout the ship as it killed a collector. They all watched the lifeless body drop to the ground. Mads looked up and was instantly relieved.

William Sheridan was there, waving at him. "Captain Romanov! Seems you are in need of a little help!" He yelled down to the team. Several of his crew members joined the fight. With the new threat, the collectors became stretched thin.

"Thanks pal!" Mads yelled back. "I ain't your pal!" William stated as he continued firing.

Finally, Edi got the door open. "See you around, Captain!" William yelled as he retreated back with his crewmates. Hopefully they would get out in time. Mads and his teammates had their own headache to deal with. The collectors didn't stop fighting.

They ran and ran, until finally they saw the shuttle waiting for them, and not a moment too soon. Mads made sure Garrus and Tali were both on board before boarding himself. They flew away and landed on the Normandy just in time to escape the hell that the collector ship had planned for them.

* * *

 **2 hours later**

 **Normandy**

Mads stepped into the briefing room. He looked around and saw no one was present. _Excellent_ he thought as he took out his pack of cigarettes and pulled one out. He smelled the familiar tobacco and placed it in between his lips.

"Edi! Open a connection to the illusive man." Mads ordered.

"Yes Captain." She replied and quickly went to work. Mads held his zippo lighter in his hand as the call opened. He used his thumb to open and close the lid, giving that familiar click noise that zippo lighters had been famed for.

The Illusive man came into sight, sitting in that damn chair and smoking a cigarette of his own, all while sipping Whiskey or whatever he was drinking.

"Captain Romanov. I see you have returned. Was your trip productive?" he asked as he saw the hologram of Mads.

"Can I ask you a question?" Mads asked. The illusive man was caught off guard. "Sure" He replied.

"Do I look like a dipshit?" Mads asked.

The Illusive man looked very confused in that moment. "No, why do you ask?" He asked back.

"Then why do you keep treating me like one? I nearly died today, and then I find out you knew it was a trap all along!" Mads ranted.

"Calm down Romanov. It was a necessary risk. And you did fine." that calm voice made Mads all the more angry.

"You fucking cunt! The only reason why I survived was due to someone saving me! William Sheridan, does that name ring a bell?" Mads asked in a very angry tone.

The Illusive man looked disgusted with the mention of him "Ah yes, I had hoped that me and Mr. Sheridan wouldn't have to see each other again. But you got the data, right?" The Illusive man asked, going back to the calm voice.

"Yeah I got it. You're lucky you ain't here in person! Otherwise, I would choke you out! Fucking rat!" Mads ranted on.

"Please restrain yourself from that language, Captain. Like I said, it was a necessary risk. We now have the information we need. Focus on training your squad and make them loyal to the course." The Illusive man ordered.

"Don't worry about me." Mads said as he ended the call. He wanted nothing more than to punch something. He had to calm down. He took a few deep breaths and decided to call it a day. There was still something else that needed to be planned.

* * *

Mads had spent hours rehearsing what he wanted to say to Tali. He wanted it to be perfect. But whatever concept he could think, seemed stupid in the end. He began to wonder if he was a fool. He was a man out of time and touch, how could he do anything Tali wanted?

Mads threw himself on the bed, and quickly his eyes closed. He was tired, and he let sleep claim him instantly.

His eyes opened to another scene. A beautiful wheat field, he was in his old uniform. Once again looking like a high standing crown prince. He got up on his feet and began to realize this was no ordinary dream. Normally, his dreams would be a memory, a simply playback of something that happened once in his life. This was different.

He had full control. He could walk, see, speak, smell and touch all the things. He felt it as if he was there. He then saw a small hilltop, with a giant tree upon it. The place wasn't anywhere he had been before, but still it seemed very familiar. Then he could see a small figure dancing around up there. He got confused, and started to make his way over there.

As he got closer, he had to stop up and look. His jaw must have hit the ground as he saw who it was. He couldn't believe it, he slowly but surely made his way up the hilltop and watched her once he got to the top.

She continued to dance around a little in her sundress. Seeming very happy as she plucked the flowers around the tree. Mads was speechless, he must have looked like a grade A idiot standing there.

She hummed a song while dancing around. The sundress was the same she wore the day they met. So many years ago.

"Nika?" Mads asked in a rather low voice. She ceased her humming and dancing and looked at him. She smiled, a very wide smile. Mads began to smile too.

"Mads, so good to see you again." She walked over and pulled him into a tight hug. They stayed like that for a while. Just hugging each other. "Sit down with me" She requested. Mads nodded and saw down on the grass.

"When you died..." She took a moment to breathe. "I cried for days. I blamed myself; I closed myself off to the world. It took a long time, but at least I accepted what had happened." She explained.

"I'm so sorry." She hushed him as he tried to apologize.

"It's a long time ago, and I moved on. Look, it was hard to convince God to grant me this meeting with you." She stated.

"What?" Mads asked confused.

"Don't act like that. I know you meet with him, and I'm sorry I wasn't there when you made your brief appearance. But look, I have watched you on quite a while now." She started. Mads grew nervous, what was she going to think of his feelings towards Tali?

"I think you and Tali are really cute together. And I wanted you to know, that I accept you two being together. I moved on, and it's time for you to move on as well." She finished with a smile.

"Nika I-"

"Don't. Just know that I have always loved you. You were always there for me, and while I wasn't always the best girlfriend, you were always the best boyfriend. Now, get your shit together and confess your love to her!" She demanded. Mads looked at her for a little while, but finally he nodded.

"Okay. Thank you." He said. She smiled.

"And please do go save the galaxy. It would seem you are the only one capable." She said.

"Yeah, so it would seem." Mads agreed. She pulled him up on his feet and they looked at each other for a short while.

"I'm afraid this is all the time I had. But I will still keep my eye on you." Nika remarked.

 _"I know you will. It was great to see you again." Mads said. They shared a final hug, and then the scene began to vanish._


	44. Chapter 43: Treason

**We're getting close guys! I can almost taste it!**

 **Stay tuned as I finally live up to the _romance_ part of this FanFiction in the next couple of chapters. **

* * *

**26/7 2185**

 **Normandy, Captain's quarters.**

"Tali, very few people catch me eye. Very few people make me feel the way you make me feel. You have been there since the start, through the worst. You have been kind and bra-" Mads stopped up with the paper in hand as he paced around.

"No... Doesn't sound right." Mads said as he began to cross out the words on the paper and start a new sentence. Once he had written it down, he began pacing around again.

"Tali, I want you to know... That I appreciate everything you have done. You are a devoted crewmember, and probably one of the best friends one could ask for... I hereby have a confession to make. Every sinc-" Mads stopped again.

"No, perhaps I should just be blunt?" Mads said to himself. "Tali, I really love you." He thought about it.

"Nah, she wouldn't like that." Mads put down the paper. Ever since waking up from that dream (or whatever it was) he had been hard at work trying to find the best way to confess to her. He went over to the minibar and pulled out the vodka. He found a medium sized glass and poured it in. Once he took the first sip, he could feel the chillness of the drink.

He then sat down, and took a long look at the paper once again. He tried to formulate a good confession. He wanted it to be special; perhaps something about the time they first met? That seemed like a good idea. He wrote it down.

* * *

 **Normandy, Engineering department.**

Unknowing to Mads, Tali had been hard at work doing the same thing. She was glad that her current work schedule gave her some easy work, and so she was free to try and plan it out. She had tried planning it out some time ago, but things kept coming in the way. She didn't want to stall it anymore, and she hoped that he would share her feelings in the end. That was the best outcome, but even if he didn't feel the same way as her, at least she would have let him know about her feelings.

She hadn't tried any of this before. Never had a young Quarian man captured her feelings(Even though Kal'Reeger did a nice try.), never had she really loved someone in this way before. It was... Strange. Here she was, trying to confess her love to a _human_ captain. A man she actually knew very little about.

She hoped he would open up a bit more in the future. He was beginning to tell her things before he died. In that moment of thought, she remembered an old promise. He would tell her what she wanted to know over a drink.

She smiled at the thought, but was pulled from her day dreaming by a beep from her Omni-tool. She stared at it confused. The sender read as The Migrant Fleet. Why would they contact her? And why now? She was frustrated that she was pulled from her day dreaming, but knew that messages from home was usually important in nature.

With a hesitant touch, she opened the message. She read it carefully line by line.

 _To: Tali'Zorah vas Neema_

 _From: The Admiralty_

 _Subject: Return to the fleet_

 _Greetings Tali'Zorah._

 _The purpose of this message is this message is to inform you of the trial against you. You have been accused of Treason against the Quarian people._

 _You are required to return to fleet at once. Failure to do so will result in the trial continuing in your absence, and without your defense. We suggest you return as soon as possible._

 _The Admiralty._

Tali stood at her station in shock, unable to think or do any form of reaction. Her mouth must have been wide open as she finished the message. A short message, but it knocked her off her feet. They were accusing her of treason? She tried to think what she had done to deserve this. She thought long and hard. Then, she began to lightly sob. She turned off her audio output as to not alarm her coworkers.

She sent message to the one person she trusted the most right now. He would know what to do, he always did. "Edi?" Tali asked.

"Yes Mrs. Zorah?" Edi replied.

"Can you... um... get Captain Romanov down here? There is something I would like to discuss." She requested.

"Of course." Edi said and logged off.

* * *

 **Captain's quarters.**

Mads was sitting in the couch, sipping his drink while keeping a cigarette in his free hand. The paper on the table was full of crossed out attempts. Perhaps he should just make it up as he go? He simply wasn't happy with whatever he had written down. He sighed as he sat back in the leather couch. He turned on the big monitor on the wall. It showed the news; Mads took a drag of his cigarette as he watched it.

Edi's voice carried him back to reality. "Captain. Mrs. Zorah wishes to speak with you."

Mads was a little confused. What did she wish to speak with him about? He hoped that perhaps it was the same thing as he wanted to speak about. He quickly got up from the couch and equipped his gloves, hiding the finger tattoos from sight. He walked out of the quarters and into the elevator. He pressed the button for the engineering deck and waiting patiently for the doors to open.

He found Tali looked over the work station as he entered the work room. The two other crewmembers were busy fixing some other problem over by their consoles. Mads walked over to Tali, the paper he had brought was in his back pocket. He was about to reach for it, when he saw her body language.

"Tali, are you alright?" Mads asked with concern.

She turned around, and Mads could clearly see the faint outlines of tears behind her visor. She had been crying, what for? She took a moment to breathe, probably to make sure her voice wasn't weak when she spoke to him.

"I have-..." The breathing had been meaningless, her voice broke down regardless. Her sobbing began and Mads was quick to pull her into his arms. Trying to somehow calm her down. Stroking her back to inform her that he was here for her.

It took a few moments, but she slowly began to stop sobbing. She tried again: "I have been charged with treason by the migrant fleet. I am to return as soon as possible to be there for my trial." She explained, and then began to sob once more.

Mads' first instinct was to say _WHAT?_ But he realized he probably needed to keep a more calm tone. He took a deep breath. He needed to choose his words carefully and correctly.

"I don't understand Tali. How can they charge you with treason? You are the most loyal Quarian to the fleet by account of all that you have done for them!" Mads said. It was true. He simply didn't understand what was going on.

"I'm not sure... But it must be serious. Treason is not something they take lightly. I have to get back. I'll catch a shuttle at our next stop." She said. She began even sadder when realizing she probably had to do this alone. Not even her father was permitted to be there.

"What are you talking about, Tali? We'll fly you there, that's the least we can do after all you have done for us! I'll be there for you all the way through, if I may." Mads promised. To be honest, he thought Tali was a bit silly for bringing up flying there herself. No one should have to face that kind of thing on their own.

"I don't want to be an obstacle for our mission." She replied in a low voice. Her modest nature taking over.

"You will never be an obstacle. You are a huge part of this, and you need to be at your best. You shouldn't have to worry about such things. I'll help in any way I can." Mads reassured.

She took a moment to look in Mads' eyes to see if he spoke the truth. His blue eyes told her all she needed to know. He was eager to help her, and he truly cared about her.

"Thank you." She said. And while Mads couldn't see it, she smiled for the first time since getting the news.

"Give the coordinates to Joker. He'll get us there in no time." Mads ordered.

"Of course." Tali replied and began to tell Mads some basic information about Quarian trials. She needed the ancestors' blessing for this one, the trial could be brutal. Yet, she held faith, because she knew that Mads would be there to help her in any way he can.

* * *

 **28/7 2185**

 **Normandy, approaching Migrant Fleet.**

Mads and Tali stood in the cockpit of the Normandy. Eyeing the huge fleet of the Quarians. So many ships gathered in one place was a new sight for Mads. At least in reality, such things had been the stuff of sci-fi movies in the past. Hell, everything nowadays was the stuff of sci-fi movies back then.

Tali gave the password to the fleet. It was clear that the fleet was weary of all Cerberus vessels. And they weren't pleased to see a Cerberus vessel park in their backyard. And it probably wouldn't do Tali any favors at her trial.

Mads took the last drag of his cigarette and put it out in his ashtray. He put on his helmet and nodded to Tali, who nodded back. She was as ready as she would ever be. Garrus was along them, ready to help out a friend in need.

They boarded the Quarian vessel. Tali lead the way in start. A lot of eyes were on them from the beginning. Studying the aliens Tali'Zorah had brought along for her trial. It seemed to be hot stuff. An admiral's daughter accused of Treason. It sparked rumor, that only grew wider as they observed the Cerberus vessel parked outside.

Tali had a short talk with the Ship's captain, who was there to greet them. "Welcome home, Tali. I'm afraid that I'm under orders to put you under arrest. You are not allowed to leave this vessel until the trial is done." There was a hint of sadness in the captain's voice, and it was clear they knew each other.

"Thank you captain." She replied. She knew the captain did his best to keep his over Tali, but the situation was already grim.

"And you must be Tali's new captain. I'm Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya, nice to meet you." He knew of the human gesture of shaking hands. Mads accepted.

"Captain Mads Romanov. I'm here to provide whatever support I can to Tali." Mads said.

"That's great! The trial will start shortly; I'll suggest you head there now." The captain suggested. They both nodded.

They walked through the metal halls of the Quarian ship. Mads took a moment to take in how Quarians lived. The fact that they were exiled to these vessels was saddening. But they made the best of it. Every Quarian turned their heads at the weird sound Mads' boots made. Hobnails on a metal floor, but the sight they saw was even more breath taking.

The armor was a very modern piece, but his leather belt, holster and boots gave a different picture. Many people didn't know what to think. But he could feel that most of them were approving. They talked like they thought Mads couldn't hear them. Different rumors and other mishaps.

They finally reached someone who Tali knew. They hugged like they were family, and she expressed her sorrow for Tali's situation. Mads and Garrus lingered in the background as they talked.

"Romanov! This is my auntie Raan. We aren't blood, but she has always been close to our family." Tali introduced them. Mads shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you." Mads greeted.

"Wait a minute, Raan. You called me _Vas Normandy_ " Tali stated confused.

"I'm afraid I did. The board has decided to trial you under that name. You are being charged with bringing in active Geth parts." Raan replied.

"WHAT? I always double checked every part I sent back! There is no way that they could have reactivated on their own!" Tali said, unable to understand.

"Tali, calm down." Mads had to make sure she didn't go on a complete rant. But he was sure that Tali was speaking the truth.

"So... Being part of a human ship is bad?" Mads asked.

"They stripped me of my name! They might as well exile me now!" Tali replied furious.

"You still have friends who know you, Tali." Admiral Raan reassured her.

"Are you one of the judges? You are an admiral, correct?" Mads asked Raan.

"While I am an Admiral, I can't be a judge, given the family connection." She replied.

"Alright. We better get started, where is Tali's defense lawyer?" Mads asked as he prepared himself to go inside.

"Tali is a part of your crew, Captain Romanov. That is recognized by Quarian law. The code also states that the ship's captain is to come to the aid of his/her crewmembers in a trial." Raan explained.

"Soooo... You are my lawyer." Tali confirmed as she looked over at Mads.

Mads was glad the helmet masked his puzzled look. Mads had thought he would be there as moral support, cheer her up or something. His understanding of Quarian law was exactly zero. The only area of law he was trained in, was commercial law. For all those reasons, he should have backed out, let Tali do this on her own. But that look she gave him left him with no other choice but to help her.

And it would be pretty unethical to leave the one you love without defense in such a situation. Tali needed all the help she could get, and this thing was bound to get rough for both of them. They would throw everything they have at her. Mads realized he had been silent for a few seconds now.

"Of course I'll speak for you, Tali. It's the least I can do." Mads approved. He hoped this would work out. He even let out a silent prayer to God, hoping he would help him out here a bit.

"Thank you Romanov. I couldn't ask for a better counselor." Tali said. Silently thanking him, knowing he really would do anything to help her in this given situation.

"Good. Recount the truth as best you can, and I'm sure this will all work out, Tali. Now come, it will start shortly." Raan said as she began to walk into the chamber. They both followed her.

The people gathered to watch the show. The admirals took their place and called for silence in the room. Mads gave Tali a reassuring look, trying to tell her that this will work out. Garrus waited at the top of the stairs. He would have to give that moral support... At least the best he could muster.

Raan gave the blessing and presented the accused and her defense. That admiral Koris was quick to give an objection to the presence of Mads at the trial. But Raan was quick to shoot him down, showing him the hypocrisy of that statement.

"Romanov Vas Normandy. Your crewmember Tali'Zorah stand accused of Treason. Will you speak for her?" Raan asked. Mads felt weird being adressed in a Quarian manner. But did not show it.

"Of course I will. But she bears the title of _Tali'Zorah Vas Neema_. And she is and always will be a proud and loyal member of the fleet. The fact that her true captain is forbidden to speak for her, is regrettable to say the least." Mads opened up with a good show. Already making his stance on the issue.

Koris was once again throwing wild things out there. Admiral Gerrel however, was quick to come to the aid of the accused and show the lying.

"Tali, you stand accused of bringing active Geth part into the fleet. What do you say?" Raan asked. Mads jumped in.

"Tali has not send any Geth parts while serving on the Normandy. You can surely see how that is not possible." Mads replied.

Tali defended herself as well, telling them she would never send active parts to the fleet. She told them everything was disabled and harmless, and that she always double-checked. That should have been a good statement, if she hadn't done some weird gestures. Her body language was off, almost showing her as nervous.

"Then explain how Geth seized the Lab ship where your father was working!" Koris jumped in with a very angry tone.

Everyone was surprised at that information, Tali most of all. "What are you talking about?" Tali was growing more and more nervous with that information.

"To the best of our knowledge, it looks like the Geth has complete sized the Alarei. They have most likely killed all aboard, that includes your father." Gerrel clarified for them. His tone was more sad than Koris'.

"What? Oh Keelah" Tali's reaction was understandable. Learning that your father might be dead is not a trivial matter. Mads had to jump in.

"Admirals. This trial is not ideal under the given circumstances. We should take in to consideration the safety of the fleet. The Normandy can help in any way possible." Mads suggested. Making sure his body language was strong and faithful.

"Thank you Captain. Quarian strike teams have attempted to re-seize the ship, so far without success." Raan replied.

"Romanov! We have to re-take the ship!" Tali demanded. Koris began to recount what he saw as the safest route, but suggest and honorable death instead of exile.

"I'm looking for my father you bosh'tet!" Tali pointed her finger at Koris, almost as a threat. Mads had to put her hand down and give her a look that said _Calm down_. He was worried Tali would jump over the railing and attack the admiral.

"You propose to retake the Alarei? That could provide very dangerous." Admiral Raan remarked.

"With your permission, yes admiral. In that way, we can ensure the safety of the fleet and learn the truth." Mads suggested.

"We are in agreement. And should you die on the mission, Tali. We will see to it, that your name is cleared." Gerrel promised.

"We can discuss that later." Koris bitterly remarked.

"Then it is decided. Your mission is clear. You are allowed to leave the Rayya. A shuttle will take you to the Alarei. This hearing will resume when you have returned, or if we learn of you being killed in action" Raan ordered.

"Thank you Admirals. We will be back shortly." Mads said. He nodded to Tali and the both of them made their way to the top of the stairs. They joined up with Garrus.

"Thank you for agreeing to this mission, Romanov. The Admirals make it sound like it is already written in stone that my father is dead. But... I don't know. We won't know for sure until we get there." Tali said.

"How are you? They threw a lot at you back there." Mads asked concerned. It must be hard to be accused of treason by your own people.

"I'm not sure, I expected it to be bad, but you are never prepared for something like that. And my father... We need to find out what happened." Tali said. Mads nodded.

"Perhaps I should talk with the admirals, maybe I can learn something. Hang back, will you?" Mads suggested. Tali nodded, she realized that speaking with the Admirals one by one could be viewed the wrong way if she was present.

Mads spoke with each admiral. Learning where they all stood. He learned that this wasn't about Tali, it was political. To be honest, it made him really mad. It was about Geth in general. But, it also gave him ammo to use against the admirals if the need be. Tali spoke with Kal'Reegar and Veetor'Nara, who both supported Tali.

In the end, Mads couldn't stall the mission anymore. They had to leave for the Alarei. Mads hoped to God that Tali would find her father alive. She told him about her mother, who died a few years back. Mads didn't want Tali to go through what he did, no one deserves that.

Mads, Garrus and Tali boarded the shuttle bound for the Alarei. It was a short trip, and soon they had boots on the... Ground? Metal floor is probably more correct. It looked bad from the moment they entered. Mads could feel that Tali was tensing up as she realized the possible outcome.

They fought their age old enemy, the Geth. Bodies filled the halls, scientists. The question arose, if they had done this in some failed experiment? Did Tali play a role in it? Or was her name simply caught up in it? Either way, the Geth wasn't a problem. The problem came with the video logs. While they gave a glance into what happened, they also showed the sad last moments of the crew. A mother bidding farewell to her child, almost gave Mads the urge to shed a tear.

The Alarei was a small vessel. The noise pollution from an AK-15 was enough damage the hearing anyone who wasn't wearing a helmet. But they came ever closer to the truth, and it was revealed in bits. A little bit here and there, slowly the bigger picture was uncovered. Tali was beginning to realize that her father might have been behind it.

"What's all this father? You promised that you would build me a house on our home world, was this your plan to bring us home?" Tali sort of asked herself as she went through different logs.

"He promised to build a home for you on Rannoch?" Mads asked curiously.

"Yes, I know it might seem a like a stupid promise." Tali replied.

"I don't think it's dumb. But let's see if we can find your father." Mads suggested. Tali nodded in approval.

There was more fighting, there always was. Another hallway, another squad of Geth soldiers there to take them down. It began to seem as if this was done by an accident. That Rael'Zorah tried to do something remarkable, but failed.

Then Mads saw the body, and somehow he knew. It was his guts telling him who that dead Quarian lying on the ground for himself was. And it hurt, like a knife to the heart. He could understand the pain Tali felt as she saw the corpse, just the way she screamed FATHER! Was enough to tell by. And of course, Tali denied that he was dead, tried to figure out what happened.

"They're wrong! You wouldn't just DIE like this! You wouldn't leave me-" Mads pulled Tali up and hugged her tight. His heart went out to Tali. Seeing your own father dead like that, no one deserved such a fate, least of all Tali. She, much like him, didn't even get to say goodbye.

"It's okay." Mads whispered in her ear as he let her cry into his shoulder.

"Damn it! Damn it! I'm sorry." She cried.

"You got nothing to be sorry about." Mads reassured her.

"Maybe he planned ahead, maybe he left a message." Tali theorized as she began to accept that he was dead.

And she was right, he did leave a message. It detailed what she had to do. Orders, given from the grave to his very own daughter. No " _I love you"_ or " _I'm proud of you"._ Only a direct order on what she should do, and that broke Tali's heart even more. Mads could feel that.

"I know losing family is hard, and that your father's message wasn't exactly filled with love. But I think he cared for you in his own special way." Mads tried to calm her.

"I don't know what's worse. Thinking he never cared, or that he did, and this was the best way he could show it. But that doesn't matter, I cared. And I'm ended this." She promised.

Mads hoped to God she was alright. He would do everything to help her overcome this grief, but she was right. They had to end this nightmare and get back to the trial, as unpleasant as it may be. So it was a last fight, not a tough one. Tali was fueled by rage as she shot them all dead. Her shotgun overheating several times.

They found the main hub, and they had to shut it down for the remaining Geth to be deactivated. But there was also some logs left on the terminal. There the full truth could be revealed. But Tali was nervous to view them, at what they might tell.

Tali finally played the log. And it did what she had feared. It confirmed that it was Rael that ordered it all, did these terrible things. Now, his actions had cost the lives of many Quarians. Tali's head hung low as the video came to a close. He pretty much did it for her, in a way. Tali remained quiet.

"I think in some way, that he did this for you Tali. Even though his methods became twisted." Mads remarked.

"I never wanted this, Romanov. This is all his fault. I forced myself to believe it wasn't him! But now... -When this comes up in the trial they'll brand him as the biggest traitor against our people! We... We can't tell them!" Tali said. Mads looked at her confused.

"Tali, this is evidence that will clear your name! You'll be exiled if we don't use these logs!" Mads stated.

"You think I don't know what will happen? I can't walk into that trial and tell everyone my father was the biggest war criminal to our fleet! I won't! I'd rather enjoy a life in exile. Please! I'm begging you, Romanov! Don't destroy what my Father was!" Tali was on the verge on crying again. Mads sighed at Tali's request. This was going to complicate things.

"We'll... We'll see at the trial." Mads said, that was about as much as he could bend right now.

"Romanov. You are my captain. It will be your decision. But please... Don't." Tali pleaded. Mads had to think, he could do that on the way back.

* * *

When they came back, the admirals were already beginning to start the trial without them. They were ready to render judgment without her. Mads and Tali came bashing through. Tali took an offensive stance.

"Sorry we're late." Tali said. Mads jumped in right after that.

"Tali just did nothing short of a miracle. She saved the Alarei from the Geth. This should prove just how loyal she is to the fleet." Mads remarked, making sure it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Koris, that snake, of course had to make some sort of smug reply. "her loyalty was never in doubt, only her jugdement."

Raan stepped in after that. "Tali, did you find anything on the Alarei that can help ensure trust in your judgment?" She asked. Tali looked over at Mads, her look begged him not to show it. Mads had thought about what to do on the shuttle, and he believed there might be some way around it. He gave Tali a look that said _trust me_ as he stepped forward.

Tali trusted him, she trusted him with his heart. The man she loved was about to make the choice about her future.

Mads cleared his throat. "Tali'Zorah Vas Neema nar Raaya is the most loyal person I have ever encountered. I know trust between humans and Quarian is pretty much non-existing. But, we humans have a certain saying: 'Innocent until proven guilty'. I can see that Quarian operate under a different set of rules. Tali is innocent until YOU can show evidence that show her as a traitor. And I have seen none so far." Mads smugly said. He took a pause to allow the audience to take it in.

"This is a political witch hunt for Tali! It isn't even about her! It's about the Geth! If you guys want to debate about the ethics of Geth killing, fine! But leave Tali out of it. You will never find anyone as gifted as Tali, and she is the expert in the field. You should listen to her! Not trial her for something she never did!" Mads made probably the strongest case he could without evidence. Tali watched him as he ranted to the Admirals about their mistake in doing this trial. And she could feel herself love him even more, if that was even possible. There was no doubt he cared about her, perhaps he cared as much as she cared for him.

The Admirals were left speechless, and the crowd was all worked up in Tali's favor. Everyone demanding that they cease their charges. Koris buckled under from the press, as did Gerrel and that weird woman Xen. Tali was home free, and her father's legacy was safe and sound.

Mads didn't think it was possible for Tali to squeeze out all the air in his lungs with that hug she pulled afterwards. But she did. "I can't believe you pulled that off... I have never had anyone speak like that for me. Thank you, Romanov... For everything" She said with probably the happiest voice she had since learning about her trial.

"Tali... You deserve better. What your father did... I can't change that." Mads replied.

"I got something better, I got you." Tali said. That comment made Mads smile under his helmet.

"Alright, Vas Normandy. Let's get back to our ship." Mads smiled.

"Thank you... Captain." Tali said under her breath.

They never realized it, but Raan had observed them both under and after the trial, and come to some interesting conclusions. The Quarians were masters at reading body language after all. Before they could leave, Mads told Tali he had to do something. She and Garrus waited for a little while before Mads came back with a box. They all boarded the ship.

 _Tali couldn't have been happier with how the trial turned out, even if things had been sorrowful for her under it. That sorrow was still not out of her system._


	45. Chapter 44: Love?

**30/7 2185**

 **Normandy.**

"I'll bet you a thousand credits you couldn't go a week without saying _calibration_." Mads deared as he took a sip of his coffee. Him and Garrus had been chatting for close to 20 minutes in the forward cannon room.

"HA! That will be the easiest thousand credits I have ever made!" Garrus accepted.

"At the rate you are saying it, you won't last a day. The meaning of that word will be lost in due time, you do realize that, right?" Mads asked.

"Fuck off. And why haven't you spoken to Tali yet?" Garrus asked back. Mads grew quiet, it was true. He hadn't really spoken to Tali coming back, in truth; he wanted to plan it out.

"She is still grieving after her father's dead. It would be... awkward." Mads replied.

"Shut up. You are both hot after each other. Try to comfort her or something." Garrus proposed.

"Maybe you're right. But following Vakarian advice has hardly ever turned out in anyone's favor." Mads teased.

Garrus gave a parody expression of being hurt. "Words hurt too." He remarked.

"I thought you were a tough Turian Warrior." Mads replied.

"Get out of here. And go talk to Tali and sort out that weird romance you have going on. I have some calibration to do." Garrus said as he turned around. Mads chuckled.

"What?" Garrus asked confused.

"You couldn't even go half-a-minute without saying it." Mads laughed. Garrus gave an annoyed sigh as he realized what he had done. Mads left laughing as Garrus cursed him.

* * *

To plan ahead for battle is easy, especially if you are someone with a service history like Mads, but how do you tackle something like love, when you haven't experienced it in close to... 168 years? Mads knew the feeling, he knew all too well. But Tali was not just anyone, she was special. And here he was, trying his damnest to make some sort of confession of love that was worth a damn. They all sounded way too corny, or way too dumb.

Tali had lost her father. The grief was still there, even if she denied it to all those who asked if she was alright. She dealt with it in the only way she could, work. It seemed ironic; her father had spent so much time on his work to properly care for her. Now, she was drowning herself in work. She took every shift she could, and she would cry herself to sleep in her pod at night.

Her confession had been lost in the tears she had wept. She would still smile when she remembered Mads, and she could feel the chemistry between them. But this event had left her in tears, and she simply couldn't muster up any confidence to tackle it. She felt exhausted emotionally. She remembered that she dealt with her mother's death in a similar way, and how she only got through that with the help of her auntie.

Mads knew she was dealing with it emotionally, he understood it perhaps better than anyone on the ship. He might even go so far as to say he never got over it. Why could he? This new world seemed unforgiving in its nature. He understood that either work or a bottle seemed like a logical answer when family died. How often did he choose the latter? How many times does he still do it?

But, that's why he was content on helping Tali through this. She deserved as much. So much shit had been thrown her way these past couple of days. That's why he spent his downtime preparing some words, simple words that should mean a lot. How could it be so difficult?

 _What are you doing?_

And here they come again, creeping up on him like some ghost haunting his mind. Those voices. He could place each and every voice to a person he once knew, and he knew that they didn't mean what they said to him. He knew that the voices were a part of his deeper conscious retelling each and every mistake.

 _What makes you think you deserve her?_

 _Haven't you brought enough sorrow?_

It was them who made Russian roulette seem like a good game to try out. See how long you would last. And it made him think: Was he entitled to all of this? Did God _really_ speak to him? Or was it just a dying man's dream? A way to justify to himself to keep on. These thoughts were not fun to think alone. He was unstable, and he knew it. However he managed to become captain was somehow beyond him at this point.

And of course, he was selfish for thinking like this. He needed to man up. He loved Tali, and if he hadn't read all those hints wrong, she loved him right back. That begged the question, what in the hell was he waiting for?

He folded the paper into a ball and threw it into the bin. What the hell did he need a script for? These words would come from his heart, right?

 _Who do you think you are?_

Like a small devil standing on his shoulder, the words kept on speaking against him.

" **AND WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, HM? SOME KIND OF MORAL COMPASS?"** Mads yelled into his own cabin. Must have seemed like a madman to Edi, if she tested for things like that. No, he would shut out the voices.

Situations like these would be a goldmine for his enemies and the press. He could already imagine what everyone would think of him.

* * *

Tali worked at her station, fixing everything she could. Doing the best work she could do, while pushing out every other thought she had. She sneezed. Curse her luck, she had gotten sick from that suit repair. Damn, of course she had. And if things couldn't get any worse, she could hear those damn hobnails coming behind her! Why did he have to own such weird boots?

Of course, she liked him, she liked his company. That's why she didn't want him to see her like this. A shell of what she should have been. Her self-doubt screamed at her to bail, to find some reason to get out.

"Kenneth, Gabriella? Mind giving me and Tali a moment?" Mads asked as he stood behind them.

"Sure thing, laddy." Kenneth replied as he finished up the small task he was doing.

"Take all the time you need." Gabriella answered. She knew Tali had been affected by her Father's dead. They both stepped out of the room. As soon as they had left, Mads went over to the wall besides the terminal station she was working at. He leaned against it, rested his hands on his belt.

"How are you Tali?" Mads asked with a caring voice.

"I'm fine." She replied with a shift and rather cold voice.

"Tali, don't lie to me. You know my bullshit detector is one of the greatest in the galaxy." Mads said. Besides Tali grief, she actually smiled. His stupid comments always did that.

"Romanov. I get that you want to help, but this is something I must do on my own." Tali replied.

Mads was quiet for a second. Her voice seemed so distant, nothing at all like she usually speaks.

"Do you remember your nosey behavior two years ago, Tali? How you asked about my parents?" Mads asked. Tali finally took her eyes off her work and looked at him.

"Yes..." She answered, now curious.

"Remember that I told you that they died?" Mads asked.

"Yes?" Tali was now peaked.

"I worked out that alone. In my quarters at night, silently thinking about what I could have done differently. For the first six months, I thought I was dreaming. Some cruel dream made by the Lord himself. I don't want you to work this out at the rate I did." Mads said. Those words seemed to work it's magic.

"I-... I-... I just miss him so much!" She cried. Mads was quick to get over to her and hug her. Telling her everything would be okay. Stroking her back and letting her know that he was there for her. They spent the next half-a-hour just talking. Tali told him her fond memories she had of her father. Tali realized that speaking with Mads did more to help than she ever could do herself.

Then she sneezed. A small reminder that she was still a bit sick. "Bless you. Are you feeling sick?" Mads asked concerned.

"No, just a small fever. I got sloppy while doing some suit work. No need to worry." Tali replied, trying to ease his concerns.

"I have to pay my respects to the Quarians. Living inside your suit almost all of your life must be hard. I doubt I would be able to do it." Mads remarked.

"It's not easy. We are always in a suit. Even along family. It gets tough when you think too much about it. The most intimate thing a Quarian can do is to link suit environment with another. It's an important sign of trust and acceptance. I have yet to trust anyone that much, expect for yo-... No Quarians..." Tali realized that she let it slip. It came natural, like straight from her heart. Mads must have had the most inappropriate grin in the world at that moment.

"I'm glad you think so Tali. And I feel the same way, you don't have to prove anything to me." Mads asked as he smiled to give her comfort.

"I know... Not that I know... I didn't mean it like that... Wow, it's getting hot in here... The tradition also is a sign of intimacy. I wasn't trying to... Is not always like... It's more..." Tali was getting nervous and wiggling her hands together in that cute nervous way she always did.

"Hold on a second... Are you trying to tell me something?" Mads had to drop the hint. Tali probably also needed it. Tali did indeed calm down as she heard that tone in his voice.

"Once upon a time, a young woman gets recused by a very handsome and dashing commander in a back alley. The commander puts trust in the young woman and lets her along on the adventure. How could she ever develop any kind of interest in him?" Tali took a pause to see Mads' reaction, and when she saw him smiling, she calmed down and realized that it would probably work. She cleared her throat before Mads could speak.

"... Я тебя люблю" **(I love you)** She said as a confession. Mads could hardly believe it, she had actually learned a bit of Russian? Well, the pronunciation was a bit off, but otherwise it was great. Mads could almost only smile, but he realized he probably had to do something as well. He moved in closer to her, and spoke softly where her audio input was.

"Я тоже тебя люблю" **(I love you too)** it felt natural to speak those words. And they tasted so foreign on his tongue, but not at all unpleasant. They hadn't been said in... Years. So long ago, and it felt like a massive weight was off his shoulders.

Tali needed a second to comprehend his words. First off, she needed to translate them, but that was no issue. Then, she had to tell if it was real or not. There was never really any doubt, and she considered herself silly for even having to do it. But she was just so happy. She jumped into Mads' arms and hugged him tight like a hug where if she let go, he would disappear forever. Mads hugged her tightly back and they stayed like that for some time.

"I can't begin to describe to you how happy I am right now. I wanted to tell you for so long." Tali said while crying tears of joy.

"Tali, I feel the same way. For a long time, I have had these feelings as well. How about... How about you come up to my quarters tonight, then we can discuss this further. Wouldn't want to delay the great work of Mrs. Vas Normandy now." Mads joked, but was serious about the offer.

"I would like that. I'll come up as soon as my shift is over." Tali replied with a smile under her helmet. She couldn't contain her happiness. Mads nodded.

"It's a deal then." He smiled and hugged her a last time before leaving. Tali had to stop herself from giggling like a school girl over the whole incident. Her cheeks were flaming red with brushing. She looked forward to the end of her shift.

* * *

 **Later that night.**

Mads cleaned up his quarters, made sure it wasn't such a mess. The box from the migrant fleet was sitting neatly on the table, a little surprise he had brought Tali. And he hoped she would like it. He sighed, and began to think about what he should tell Tali, about his past. Or even if he should. Still, he owed her answers, and if she asked, he would answer truthfully.

He didn't have to wait long for Tali. About ten minutes after the end of her shift, there was a knock on his door. Mads was quick to answer it. Tali walked in and took a good look at the apartment, and realized it had truly been upgraded from the last Normandy. She had fond memories of the last ship and their time together.

"How are you Tali?" Mads asked as he closed the door.

"I'm quite fine... But... I just wanted to say..." She had been doing a lot of thinking since they talked. Her self-doubt trying one last time to bring her down. "I kind of put you on the spot back there. Is just... If you don't really feel the same way, then I wouldn't mind." Tali was almost embarrassed to say it, and feared what Mads might say next.

"You're kidding me, right?" Mads asked confused. "Of course I feel the same way. My answer remains the same it then back then. I... Love you Tali." Mads replied. She jumped at him, and caught him in a hug. If she hadn't been wearing that mask, or had the possibility of getting sick, she would have locked him in a kiss.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"Anytime. Now, please have a seat. I brought something for you." Mads smiled as he gestured for the couch.

"Really? You shouldn't have." Tali replied, surprised that he already had gotten something for her.

"Nonsense! You deserve something special. I just hope I was original enough in my gift hunting." Mads reassured. Tali smiled once again. Mads went over to the box and began to open it.

"After the trial, I figured you deserved something. I went exploring a bit, hoping to find a gift shop of some kind, but was not successful. Guess the Quarians have other priorities. But, I found something else." Mads remarked as he opened the box and pulled out its contents. Tali could hardly believe her eyes at what he pulled out.

"Ta-Da! Genuine Quarian wine! What do you say?" Mads asked with a smile as he held up the bottle.

"But how did you-" Tali couldn't even finish her sentence before Mads interrupted.

"I asked around if it was possible to buy a bottle. I know you mostly enjoy triple filtered Turian wine. Turns out, they only had pre-war bottles. This one is marked-" Mads looked at the label. "-1892, meaning its 293 years old. They are rare, and not all that cheap." Mads explained.

"How much?" Tali asked.

"About 12000 credits." Mads replied causally. Tali grasped in horror at mention of such a huge sum of money.

"Not to worry Tali, I can easily make that back on investments. Like I said, you deserve something special." Mads said. He placed the bottle on the table for Tali to examine. And examine it, she did. She couldn't believe Mads had done something like that. Mads went up to his office space and got two glasses from the mini bar, and his vodka. Tali was still busy looking at the bottle as Mads poured his drink. Mads gently put his hand on Tali's forearm.

"Don't think too much about it, just accept the gift." He said.

"Thank you so much! This means a lot to me." Tali replied and hugged him again.

They talked for what seeming like hours, the contents of the bottle slowly disappeared like a time glass. Slowly, they became more and more intoxicated. They had a connection, they spoke about certain things that most people normally wouldn't have. They agreed on some things, while disagreeing on other things. It was almost... Perfect. She was perfect, in his mind at least. But perhaps that didn't say much.

Mads took a cigarette from his pack and placed it between his lips and began to give a flame to it, as Tali spoke up. "Uhm... Romanov-"

"Please, call me Mads. I think this relationship will be quite weird if you call me by my surname." Mads smiled as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"Mads" She spoke softly, liking the taste on her tongue as she spoke it. "I would like to... uhm... Know more about you." She requested.

"Really?" Mads asked with a smile.

"If I remember correctly, you promised me to tell me everything I wanted to know over a drink. I think we got the drinks sorted alright." Tali said. Mads laughed.

"I figured you remember that deal. Alright Tali, a deal is a deal. What do you want to know?" Mads asked.

"Well... You have always been different. That's something I noticed. You speak different, you behave different, you dress different. But, what is most interesting, is your comment on your own parents." Tali was asked something deeply personal, and she wondered if she should. If he even would trust her enough.

Mads took a deep breath and placed his cigarette in his ashtray, he presented his gloved hands to Tali. "These hands have been under gloves for the better part of 11 years now, ever since 2174. This has caused a lot of rumors to be made. Everyone and their mother have a theory on what's underneath, on why I hide my own hands. Some think I have scared or burned skin, some think I have robot hands, and so on. Do you want to know what's underneath?" Mads asked back. Tali nodded. "Then pull them off." Mads ordered. Tali did so, she took her own gloved her over his, but hesitated for a moment, she thought about if she wanted to know. But then it struck her, she loved the man, and he was willing to show this to her.

She pulled off the glove of the right hand, and was instantly rewarded with the sight of a hand covered in tattoos, she pulled off the other and found the same. She was stunned and amazed at how beautiful they were.

"Most of my arms, my back and my shoulders have been tattooed. The reason I hide them, isn't because I am ashamed of them, far from it. But it's because of a simple little detail." Mads said, he pulled his right sleeve up a bit, and there on his wrist, was the most bizarre thing she had ever seen. It was a rather small tattoo, but what it said was almost unbelievable.

 **Mads Aleksandrovich Romanov.**

 **31/08/1992**

Was written in big bold letters. "First tattoo I ever had made. I was 21 at the time." Mads remarked as Tali stared at it.

"But that means you are-"

"193 years old. Yes." Mads interrupted.

"But how-" Tali thought it was some sort of Joke at first, but the look in Mads' eyes told her it was the truth.

"Most of what I have said about my past is true... In some sense. I went to business school at the age of 15, joined the Russian armed forces when I was about to turn 19. Spent a few months in boot camp, became a guard of honor in the Kremlin regiment. I know, kind of ironic, considering that a member of the former royal was protecting the Russian president. I was there for 2 years, in 2013 my superiors noticed something in me and transferred me to the Russian special forces. I became a senior lieutenant. I lived a happy life, had a good family, a lot of good friends, and I had a lovely girlfriend as well." Mads took a pause, perhaps that detail wasn't the best to include when in present company. But Tali listened on.

"Then there was a civil war in Syria. The people wanted change, the president wouldn't give in. Russia took a stance with the President, but never intervened. Then, a terrorist group came about. They called themselves _The Islamic State_. Religious fanatics who wanted to create a sovereign nation based on their ideals. Russia joined the fight against them in 2015, and Russian special forces where sent in as help to the president. I was one of them." Mads took a pause.

"You see this scar?" Mads asked as he ran his hand over the scar that went across the right part of his skull. Tali nodded.

"We were ordered to take a village, a small town. We had already secured a lot of villages, so we knew the drill. Things went tits up from the start. There were more Islamic fighters in there than we thought, but in the end, we cleared it. There was only one house left. Me and my best mate decided that the rest of the team could stay back as we cleared it. Turns out that a young fighter had hidden himself in the house, and he shot my friend in the shoulder." Mads took another pause and took a drag of his cigarette. Tali eagerly listened on.

"I stormed into the room, and I looked that kid in the eyes. There was a great conflict in his mind, on one side he had his loyalty to the terrorist group, on the other side, he had just shot another man. We fired our rifles at the same time. My bullet killed him, his bullet gave me this scar." Mads said, taking a pause to let it slip in to Tali.

"I was instantly knocked unconscious; I was rushed to a hospital. I was declared KIA, but I wasn't dead." Tali grasped at the information.

"My own country passed me into a secret program. They put me on ice, in a statis so to speak. I remained there until 2174, when I awoke again... I learned of all that had happened. Everything was gone, everything I know was gone, everything I would have ever become... Was gone." Mads paused, taking another drag.

"That is why I am the way I am today." Mads spoke. Tali sat for a moment, letting it all in. Trying to understand. She then hugged him, as tightly as ever. "I'm so sorry!" She said, trying her best to comfort him.

"Don't be Tali. I have already grieved enough." Mads said.

"What could you stand it?" Tali asked.

"I don't know. I guess... I guess I was better off fighting for humanity than I was dead. For a long time, very few people have been told this Tali. I trust you, but this can't leave this room." Mads said, Tali nodded. They remained in a hug for quite some time. Tali shed tears on Mads' behalf. Mads had already grieved so much, he wasn't even sure if there was any tears left in him.

Once they moved past that part, Mads began to share more fond memories. Like what his tattoos meant. Tali listened, took in every single word he said. The pieces of the giant puzzle that was Mads Romanov was falling together at last. This picture was not what she had expected, and she did indeed feel sorrow for him, but she understood that he didn't want pity. He lived here and now, or so he claimed at least.

"And who is that?" Tali asked as she pointed to his index finger on his right hand.

"This?" Mads asked as he pointed to the small portrait and Tali nodded. "That's Peter The Great. Tsar of Russia from 1682-1725. He brought Russia out of a dark age into a more enlightened age. He made Russia a great power. I have chosen him as my index finger on my right hand, because that is my trigger finger. I like to think he decides when to shoot." Mads explained. Tali greatly enjoyed hearing these stories, and knowing that it was his family.

"I have chosen Alexander III on my middle finger, because he gave the _F-You_ to anyone he didn't like. He kept Russian safe. Nicholas II is on my ringfinger-"

"Wasn't he the one who lost the throne?" Tali remembered Mads speaking about it a long time ago.

"Yes... While he was far from a good leader, he was a good family man. That's why I placed him there. In Russian culture, we wear our wedding ring on our right ring finger. So... I thought it was fitting." Mads said.

"I agree. I think it's rather beautiful, and most of all... Meaningful." Tali agreed.

"I'm glad you think so Tali. It means a lot. Not many people have seen this before. For the pinky, I have chosen Alexander the first. The man who defeated Napoleon, the greatest threat to Russia at the time. He helped Russia and therefore he helps me guide and steady my hand." Mads went on, Tali eagerly studied all the portraits on his right hand, and then began to observe the ones on his left hand.

"Catherine the great brought Russia into a new golden age, she expanded the state and helped its people. She rests on my left index finger, and holds as much importance as Peter the Great. Alexander II is on my left middle finger, he was also the type who had his own visions. He improved life for the poor, and wanted Russia to be more democratic. He became a martyr, killed by terrorists." Mads took a pause, he had never really explained the meaning behind these tattoos. At least not to anyone as willing to listen as Tali. She truly cared.

"Nicholas the first was also a man of faith, and state. I choose him to rest on my left ring finger. As for the left pinky? Michael the first. The first ever Romanov to sit on the Russian throne. This was before they were called Tsars of all Russia. That's the meaning of these tattoos, they guide me when I need them. Make me do the right things when I need to." Mads finished explaining.

"You shouldn't hide them, be proud of them! I think they are beautiful." Tali proposed.

"Maybe, I'll think about it." Mads promised.

"Hey Tali, do you... erh... Want to stay here tonight? I know how uncomfortable the pods can be." Mads suggested.

"I would love to." Tali replied. They both realized that it was getting late; they had spoken for so long, about... Well, everything. Mads had to admit, it felt good to get it off his chest, to speak with someone like they understood and cared. In fact, it felt really nice.

 _Mads fell asleep with Tali in his arms, and he got, what was probably, the best sleep he had gotten in 11 years._


	46. Chapter 45: Father and Son

**Hey Guys!**

 **It's your boy, KanisRussell. Bringing you another chapter. I'm glad to see the positive feedback to the last chapter, it warms my heart. It will probably be a little while before the next chapter, since I Just moved to Nürnberg in Germany to start work down there.**

 **This story was supposed to be wrapped up by now, but everyone can see that the tale is _far_ from done. I got quite a lot of things prepared for future chapters. I hope everyone understands.**

 **Other than that, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Kind regards**

 **KanisRussell**

* * *

 **31/7 2185**

 **Normandy.**

Tali woke up to the warmth of Mads' arms. She hummed under her helmet at the feeling. She wondered what it would feel like without the suit blocking full skin on skin access. She sighed at the realization that such a thing would be hard to achieve. Mads was still hard asleep, slightly snoring as he kept his arm wrapped around Tali. He had gone to sleep in only his underwear, and therefore gave Tali a full view of his ink and body.

He was quite muscular, wide shoulders and a firm six pack. No matter the species, muscles were considered sexy. Mads hadn't been lying when he told her, that he had the prophet watching his back, just not in the sense Tali understood it. The picture of Jesus Christ on the cross dominated his back. He had told her, that he was not really religious before being shot, and that he chose to believe afterwards.

Tali silently and without notice slipped away from the hold of Mads' arms. She stood up and looked back at Mads shifting in bed. She looked down at him, smiling as she realized they were actually together now, something she only fantasized about before. Then, she saw the clock, and realized that it was close to 10 am. She grasped in horror, as her shift started more than an hour ago.

"Mrs. Zorah?" Edi voice asked over the comms.

"What is it? I'm a bit busy. I'm late for my shift!" Tali proclaimed as she was about to clean up a little.

"Captain Romanov relieved you of your shift today." Edi replied. Tali stopped what she was doing and made a sigh of relief and smiled back at Mads, who was still very much at sleep.

"What about Mads? Doesn't he have official duty?" Tali asked.

"Doctor Chakwas instructed me to allow Captain Romanov at least 8-10 hours of sleep. However, once he does awaken, do inform him that both Mr. Vakerian and Mr. Krios wishes to speak with him." Edi requested.

"Yes... Of course." Tali replied. Edi went quiet, and Tali looked back at Mads. Still shifting in his bed and letting out that snore. She smiled as she sat down in the bed, and looked at him... So ….. Peaceful. She stayed like that for a bit, but then she went over to his desk. There was that picture she saw 2 years ago, of his family standing close for a photo together.

Then she heard him wake up, groaning as he sat up in bed. "What's the time?" He asked, his voice still tried.

"10:07 am." She replied as she put the picture back on his desk.

"Well damn..." Mads said as he put a cigarette between his lips and gave it light. "I should have reported for duty two hours ago. What a shame." He remarked. "However, I'm sure Mrs. Lawson will manage in my absence." Mads laughed. He took another drag as he stood up and stretched out his body.

"Did you sleep well?" Mads asked, still stretching out his body.

"Never better. And you?" Tali asked back with a smile as she came towards him.

"Probably the best sleep I've had in 11 years." He smiled and put his cigarette in the ashtray. He got them on the ground and started doing sit-ups.

"Didn't know you did morning work outs." Tali teased.

"Gotta keep them abs in shape, otherwise I can't catch Quarian girls." Mads laughed back and he counted each sit up. He took 30 and them went on to pushups. Tali eagerly watched her... Captain at work.

After he was done with the work out, they shared some breakfast together. Mads had gotten the best Quarian meal he could find, while enjoying some eggs and bacon himself.

"Garrus and Thane wanted to speak with you." Tali said as they finished eating.

"They did? Guess I'd better go back to being captain. A shame though, I had almost gotten used to this." Mads smiled.

"We can meet up here again tonight." Tali suggested.

"I like that sound of that, Mrs. Vas Normandy." Mads replied.

Mads then got changed into his uniform and quickly made sure his hair and beard wasn't too much of a mess. "And what will you'll be doing today?" Mads asked as he finished up trimming his beard.

"Not sure, It's not every day the Captain clears me of duty." Tali replied. Mads laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll manage. I'll be back later." Mads said as he went to the door and snapped on his belt.

"I'll be counting the minutes." Tali remarked.

* * *

 **A few mintutes later.**

"Thane? You wanted to speak with me?" Mads asked as he walked into the room. He hadn't really had the chance to have a one-on-one with him yet.

"Yes, please sit." Thane requested as he gestured to the stair in front of him. Mads did so.

"To put it bluntly... I'm dying." Thane said.

"Wait... What?" Mads asked confused back. "We can get you help, Thane." Mads promised.

"I have been to the best doctors in the galaxy. There is nothing to be done. It's Kepral's Syndrome, it develops after too long exposure to humid climates. It's slowly killing me. But that's not the issue. I can complete this mission, and then it will be my last." Thane explained.

"I'm... Truly sorry to hear that." Mads expressed.

"Don't be. There is however, one thing I wish to... Correct." Thane said with a heavy voice.

"And what is that?" Mads asked as he leaned forward in his seat. Eager to hear what he had to say.

"Some Drell are handpicked to be _hired contractor_ from childhood by our Hanar protectors-" Thane started.

"You mean to tell me that those jellyfish force children to become assassins?" Mads asked.

"No, most Drell families support it whole heartily. The Hanar saved the Drell from extinction, we were burned our own planets resources too quickly. The Hanar agreed to uplift us to their world. They saved about 300.000, while the rest died in wars over the remaining resources. We owe our thanks to the Hanar, and if they wish for some of our Children to become contractors, I see no problem in it." Thane explained.

"That's... uhm... Understandable... I guess." Mads replied hesitantly.

"With all due respect Captain. I'm not looking for your approval. When I was 12, they released me, I took up contract killing. At some point, I was about to snipe a target, when a woman noticed the laser sight and stepped right into my line of fire. I was amazed that this woman was willing to give her life for a stranger. We got to know each other, and we ended up married. We even had a son." Thane said.

Mads leaned back in his seat. "Let me guess, something went wrong?" He asked.

"My wife was killed in retaliation of a former kill. They didn't have the guts to face me themselves. After her funeral, I gave my son to his aunties and uncles. While I hunted down the scum who killed my wife. I had already grown... Distant... From my son, after the years of contract work. And now-"

"You want to be reunited with your son?" Mads asked.

"I left a package for Kolyat, for when he was old enough to understand. I have been notified that the package have been claimed. I'm afraid he may be... Up to no good." Thane said.

"We'll go help your son, Thane. You have my word." Mads promised.

"Thank you Captain. It would help put my mind at ease." Thane replied.

"Where is he?" Mads asked.

"The citadel." Thane answered.

"Alright, we'll get there as soon as possible. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go speak with Garrus. I'd love to continue a conversation with you later." Mads suggested.

"I would like that." Thane replied.

* * *

"I finally have him." Garrus remarked as Mads stepped into the forward cannon room.

"Have who?" Mads asked.

"The traitor who sold me out." Garrus replied.

Mads remembered Garrus telling him about what happened with his unit on Omega, that he wasn't always the lone gunman he appeared to be. They were all killed, and Garrus was convinced it was a traitor in their midst, he had been looking for him ever since.

"And you're sure it's the right one?" Mads asked.

"Fucking positive. Dipshit is hiding out on the Citadel, he is under an fake ID, so I can't pinpoint him, But I know someone named Fade, a local criminal who can make people disappear. We NEED to get him, Romanov!" Garrus proclaimed.

"We're already on our way to the citadel, we'll sort it out. I promise. But you need to think about what you want to do, or rather, what you should do." Mads ordered.

"I'm want to skin the bastard, but I'll settle for a shot in the head." Garrus replied coldly.

"We'll see soon enough. Let's get there first." Mads said.

"Yeah... By the way, it's great to see you and Tali got together finally." Garrus' tone shifted.

"How did you-"

"Oh please! First you spend close to 45 minutes alone with her in the engineering deck. Then she doesn't sleep in her pod in the evening. I can do the math." Garrus remarked with a smug face.

"Does anyone else know?" Mads asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think so." Garrus replied.

"Alright, could you _please_ keep that mouth of yours shut about it for now? Don't want the entire galaxy to fucking know." Mads ordered.

"Yeah sure, but you gotta help me on this mission." Garrus requested.

"I'll help you all the same, Garrus. Whether you like it or not, you're a brother to me." Mads said.

"Thanks... That's actually really nice to hear." Garrus replied.

"Let's go get that bastard." Mads said.

"Fuck yeah!" Garrus agreed.

* * *

 **26/7 2185**

 **Omega**

"Is everything ready?" Conrad asked impatiently.

"Yes, here is your fake ID." Helena Blake replied and handed him what he requested.

"A furniture salesman, huh?" Conrad asked a bit annoyed.

"If you want to blame anyone, blame Fade. He made them." Helena said with an equal annoyed tone in her voice.

"Fade, that's the best man for the job?" Conrad asked.

"He is the only on the citadel who wasn't under Kelham's thumb and could deliver as soon as you requested." Helena explained.

"Alright, guess they'll have to do." Conrad said as he uploaded it to his omni-tool.

"What do you plan to do?" Helena asked.

"Seems the good Captain Romanov is my saving grace once again. Quite ironic, I know. I have been monitoring him, and he recently recruited a certain Thane Krios." Conrad answered.

" _The_ Thane Krios?" Helena asked. Pretty much everyone in the criminal underworld knew the name, and most feared it.

"Yes. This is not public knowledge, but he has a son, named Kolyat. It would appear Kolyat is in need of work, preferably in the same line of work as his father. If I name drop Kolyat to Thane's very own informant, and get him work. Mr. Romanov and Krios will keep Kelham busy while I get the prep work done." Conrad explained.

"That plan seems like it is based on luck." Helena dismissed.

"It will work, trust me. Now, is the shuttle ready for takeoff?" Conrad asked.

"It is. Now... I have repayed the favor owed to you, I trust you understand." Helena remarked.

"I thank you for your help. I will see you around, Mrs. Blake." Conrad said as he left the room and went for the shuttle. It was time to do some work.

* * *

 **2/8 2185**

 **Citadel.**

"Alright, you two ready?" Mads asked to Thane and Garrus. Tali stayed behind on this one, since it was personal for both Thane and Garrus. They would tackle Thane's son first, there could be a timer on that.

They both nodded in agreement. And walked up to the Captain Bailey, who was working on his terminal. He looked up as he heard the three approach. "Captain Romanov. How's it going?" Bailey asked as he leaned back in his seat.

"Pretty good, Bailey. However, we need your help." Mads replied.

"With what?" Bailey asked further.

"My... Partner here is looking for his son. We have reasons to believe he is on the citadel. Could you perhaps do a little bit of magic and figure out if he is still here?" Mads asked.

Bailey sat forward in his seat and put his fingers to the keyboard. "Shouldn't be too hard. Not many Drell come through here." Bailey remarked as he checked the database. "Huh... Interesting."

"What's interesting?" Mads asked.

"A Drell did come through earlier. He was spotted speaking with a local informant named Mouse." Bailey replied as he checked through the file.

" _Mouse_..." Thane remembered.

"You know him?" Mads turned around and asked.

"Yes... I do." Thane answered.

"People like Mouse usually hook people up with jobs that are... Less than legal. If your son was speaking to him, I'd say he might be in trouble." Bailey remarked.

"You know where he can find him?" Mads asked.

"Should be in the upper wards, usually hangs out at the same place." Bailey replied.

"Thanks for the help Bailey. It means a lot to my partner." Mads said.

"No problem, I hope you find him." Bailey said with a smile.

They went out of the C-sec department and went up to look for this _Mouse_ character. Mads hoped he would be easy to squeeze some information out off, but you never know. After looking for a bit, they found him hanging out by a wall. Mads told Garrus to watch Thane and Mads' Backs as they questioned him a bit.

Mouse nearly jumped three feet in the air when he saw who they were. "Thane? I thought you had retired? Romanov? I thought you were dead." Mouse was in shock, and perhaps that was understandable.

"Circumstances have forced us both here, Mouse. Now, we need information. You recently hired Kolyat, Mr. Krios' son for a job. What was it?" Mads asked.

"I can't say anything." Mouse replied.

"Don't act tough with me, Mouse. I'll beat you here in front of everyone if that gets me the information. Thane would do something even worse." Mads remarked and Thane nodded.

"Look, my employers would kill me if I say anything." Mouse defending himself and took a step back.

"We'll kill if you don't." Mads threated. Thane moved closer to make sure Mouse understood.

"Mouse, you must understand that I need to find my son, and right now you are the only connection I have." Thane spoke.

"Alright look, a man name dropped your son to me. I figured that since he was your son, he might be skilled as well." Mouse said.

"Who name dropped Kolyat?" Mads asked.

"I don't know who it was, but he was from Omega." Mouse replied.

"Who did you contract my son to kill?" Thane asked.

"I don't know who it was. Look, if I say anything, I'm as good as dead." Mouse answered.

"Mouse, I want you to understand the situation. You help us, we help you." Mads said as he placed his hand on Mouse's shoulder.

"...Alright. I don't know who the target is, but it's Elias Kelham who is running the show. That's all I know." Mouse explained.

"Thank you mouse, we'll take it from here. We'll protect you." Mads promised.

"I hope so..." Mouse replied.

* * *

They went back down to Bailey, hoping he could help sort it out. Apparently Elias was some bigshot on the citadel now, pretty much running the day-to-day show in the criminal underworld on the station. Mads couldn't understand why Bailey had so much information on him, yet didn't have him locked up. Something seemed fishy, but time was running out. Mads had Bailey get Elias in for questioning.

It didn't take long before Bailey was brought into the interrogation room, and his lawyer was stalled by C-sec officers. No doubt making a scene regarding his client's rights. Garrus stayed out as Mads and Thane prepared to go in.

"How do you want to play it?" Thane asked as they stood right outside the door.

"I have a few ideas to get him to talk. No doubt he'll be a tough nut to crack. Just follow my lead." Mads ordered. Thane nodded in agreement and they both stepped inside and were greeted with the view of Elias strapped into a chair.

"What the hell do you people think you are doing?" Elias asked with an angry tone as he tried to loosen the straps that tied him down.

"I hope you are comfortable, Mr. Kelham." Mads remarked as he paced around Elias.

"You people are unbelievable. Do you have any idea who I am?" Elias asked.

"We got a good idea who you are. Now, you hired a young Drell for a contract kill. Who is the target?" Mads asked calmly as he stopped in front of Elias.

"Go to hell you bastard!" Elias bitterly replied.

Mads took a pause to let out an annoyed sigh. "Are you religious Mr. Kelham?" Mads asked. He didn't answer.

"I am, I have read the bible quite a few times. It is stated, that to walk humbly with God, one must atone for one's sins. Now since I came in here, I have already detected two sins, perhaps even three. Wouldn't you agree?" Mads asked Thane.

"Pride and Greed, and maybe even Wrath." Thane replied.

"Indeed. Now, there are several ways to atone. But the most meaningful, is to carry your sins on you, carved into your skin for the whole galaxy to see, to know you have atoned." Mads explained.

"Fuck you!" Elias spitted in Mads' face. Mads wiped off the spit and reached down to his boot to grab his knife. "Thane, relieve Mr. Kelham of his jacket and shirt." Mads ordered. Thane quickly did as asked. Mads took a moment to show off his knife to Elias.

"Last chance to speak, Mr. Kelham" Mads warned.

"Go fuck yourself." Elias remarked with an angry tone once again.

"Let's start with Pride." Mads suggested and pressed the cold knife against Elias' skin. Slowly, he began to carve the letter P into the skin, he heard Elias winch in pain. It didn't take long, but the chest was full of blood that poured out of the wounds.

"Still not in the mood for a chat?" Mads asked.

"Kiss my ass!" Elias replied.

Mads began working on Greed then, once again cutting out the letters on his skin. He was winching in pain once again. It didn't take long for the letters to be written. Elias' chest was bloody.

"Perhaps we should add wrath as well?" Mads asked Thane.

"Dear God no! I'll tell you! I'LL TELL YOU!" Elias cried out.

"I'm all ears." Mads said as he took the knife away from his skin.

"Joram Talid, alright! It's Joram Talid." Elias broke.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Mads asked as he cupped Elias' cheek. "Looks like we're done here." Mads said to Thane, who nodded in agreement.

They both walked out and the lawyer entered just as they left, shocked at the scene in there. They could hear him grasp. Mads went over to Bailey and Garrus, Thane followed right behind. "We need find Joram Talid, he is the target." Mads noted.

"I believe he is making a campaign run today, speaking with voters. That's probably where the kid will strike. You better hurry." Bailey said. Mads and Thane both got ready for what would come next.

They made the best sort of plan they could in such a short time frame. Mads would stalk Joram Talid and give Thane updates while he moved on the ground. They hoped to intercept Kolyat and stop him from doing anything dumb. Mads looked over Joram as he walked his round, using his thugs to shake down Humans. Joram was a clear anti-human, but hid behind the promise to rid the citadel of crime and corruption.

Mads kept feeding Thane with updates on what Joram did and where he went. It didn't take long before they realized that Kolyat would probably strike soon before Joram disappeared into his apartment, and then they spotted Kolyat. He was walking up to Joram, but had to look back when he heard his name being called.

"KOYLAT!" Mads called out as he took off after him. Kolyat decided to try his luck and shoot for Jaram. Although unsuccessful. He got the two Krogan bodyguards, who went down pretty quickly. And Kolyat took off after Joram afterwards, hoping to end it.

Mads and Thane both ran as fast as they could after the boy, praying that they would be able to stop him. They gave chase for a while, Joram tried to take refuge in his apartment and await help, although Kolyat seemed to be faster. Mads had to give credit where credit was due, if they hadn't been hot on his trail, Kolyat would have been successful in his mission.

C-sec was on the scene as well, Kolyat used Joram as a hostage. Hoping to use him as a bargaining chip. Kolyat had pressed his gun against the skull of Jaram and made him kneel. To be honest, that was a rookie mistake. He could easily be shot. In fact, the only reason he was still alive, was because Mads had ordered Bailey to stand down and let him and Thane do it.

"Kolyat, drop the gun. It's over!" Mads ordered, still standing in the other side of the room however.

"No way! I'm taking him with me! And we're walking out of here, ALIVE!" Kolyat demanded.

"That's not going to work, Kolyat. We already got several snipers on the rooftops, and armed C-sec standing all over the place. You got a chance here, you better take it." Mads replied.

"And what chance is that? Go to jail for the rest of my life? No thanks!" Kolyat bitterly answered and pressed the gun more firmly against the skull of Joram.

"Kolyat, don't do this. This isn't what your mother would have wanted." Thane jumped in and said.

"How would you know what she would have wanted? You left her to die!" Kolyat replied.

"Kolyat, please! I know I haven't been a good father. But I don't want you to end up like this! Please stand down!" Thane pleaded as best he could.

"Fuck off! My offer still stands, I go now!" Kolyat was growing more angry, and at the same time, more nervous. Mads took a rush decision and quickly pulled out his magnum and fired off a round into the celling of the room. Kolyat was startled by the sound and dropped his gun on the floor.

"Get your sorry ass out of here, Joram. And don't forget it was a human who saved you!" Mads ordered, and Joram was quick to follow said order. " _Dipshit"_ Mads muttered under his breath as the politician was quick to find peace along the many police officers.

"Kolyat." Thane started.

"I'm not forgiving you!" Kolyat cut him off.

"Bailey, please take the Father and son back to the station, let them sort it out." Mads ordered. Bailey nodded and ordered them both back to his skycar.

* * *

"You're a prick, you know that right?" Mads asked with a very disappointed tone in his voice.

"Look, I know it seems corrupt and shady, but the deal was great for us both. Elias didn't make too much trouble, and we didn't give him too much trouble." Bailey defended as he sat by his desk.

"Look, I'm going to be mad about it later, I'm not here for that. But that's not real police work in my opinion. Now, do you think they will sort it out?" Mads asked.

"Do you have kids, Captain Romanov?" Bailey asked back. Mads stared at him confused.

"No, I don't." Mads replied.

"I do, and I got the same problem. This is what happens when you grow apart from your child. You become distant, and at some point, you don't even know your children anymore. It's a sad fate, and I doubt that they can resolve it over a few words and some coffee." Bailey explained.

"Damn….. You're probably right. I hope Thane will be okay." Mads remarked, and on cue, Thane came out of the room.

"How did it go?" Mads asked as he placed a hand on Thane's shoulder.

"There is a lot to be done. We have a lot to do." Thane replied.

"That leaves only one thing, what will happen to the kid?" Bailey asked. Mads looked over at Thane, who gave Mads a pleading look.

"Bailey, can we cut some sort of deal here? Give the kid some community service, or make him get an education." Mads tried to reason.

"You do realize he stands accused of attempted murder, right?" Bailey asked.

"Look, I know, but this kid could a bright future. But that's only if you help him here." Mads replied.

"Okay, we'll give him a chance." Bailey agreed.

"Thank you. Truly." Thane said and shook Bailey's hand.

"You're welcome." Bailey replied.

"By the way, Bailey. I think you should be careful. It would seem Conrad Rorke is on the loose again. Didn't he use to make trouble here on the citadel?" Mads asked.

"Oh shit." Bailey muttered "Conrad Rorke is bad news for us all. I'd rather have Elias in charge than that nutjob. There is beef between them. Shit, I need to call Elias and warm him." Bailey quickly opened his terminal and called up Elias.

* * *

 **10 minutes eariler.**

 **Elias' apartment**

Elias walked in through the front door after getting out of the hospitals with the new wounds he had. There were a lot of things that needed to be done, like getting revenge and finding the traitor that made it all possible. Elias didn't pay attention when he came into his own apartment and walked over to his desk, only to find it a mess. He stared at it confused until he heard a voice call out for him.

"Mr. Kelham. So good to finally see you again. I took the liberty to look through your files." Conrad said with a smirk as he came out of the shadows.

"You-" Elias choked on his own words as he backed up.

"Yes, me. I have come here for a little visit." Conrad remarked as he took several steps closer to Elias.

"Please, it wasn't personal-" Elias was cut off by a punch in the liver, that made him collapse on the floor.

"That's what they all say. Now… Why are you covered in bandages?" Conrad asked as he flipped Elias over on his stomach and tore off said bandages.

"Come on, Conrad. We can work something out!" Elias pleaded.

"Greed and Pride." Conrad read. "It probably isn't wise for a criminal to carry a confession on his body. Let me help you." Conrad said as he pulled out a knife.

"No please!" Elias begged before screamed out in pain as Conrad removed the skin with the scars.

"There!" Conrad proclaimed as he pulled off the large piece of skin. Elias winched in pain under him.

It was then that Elias' terminal fired up with a call from C-sec. Conrad looked at the terminal curiously as he went over and opened the message. It was Captain Bailey.

"Elias! I need to warm you! I was just informed that Conrad Rorke is on the loose, you need to be careful!" Bailey said.

"I'm afraid Mr. Kelham can't answer your call right now, Bailey. He is... unable to speak at the moment. And I don't think you need to call him back, you won't be able to answer it." Conrad remarked with a smug face.

"Conrad... I should have known you would be back so soon." Bailey bitterly replied.

"You know me so well. Give my best regards to Romanov. And please do send a cleanup crew to Mr. Kelham's apartment." Conrad said as he closed the call.

"Now, where were we?" Conrad asked with a evil smile.


	47. Chapter 46: Served Cold

_**A/N: Okay, I'm pretty sure my account advisor is on the brink of hiring a hitman on me. I just ordered a new commission from a artist. This time, it will include both Mads and Tali. When will the commission come out? Only the Lord knows, but if you want, you can check out my deviantart that already holds a two drawings of Mads Romanov. The account name is KanisRussell.**_

 **I'll notify y'all when it's out. Have a good one, and do give some feedback on the chapter!**

 **Kind regards**

 **KanisRussell.**

* * *

 **3/8 2185**

 **Citadel.**

"You sure this is the place?" Mads asked as the neared a warehouse in a shady part of the wards. Garrus was still hot on the trail of his traitor.

"It's here. Fade should be inside. Now it's just a matter of shaking him up a bit, and making him talk his guts out." Garrus replied as he checked his pistol to see if the clip was still in there.

"Are you certain you want to go through with this?" Mads asked concerned.

"Dead certain. I thought you wanted to help?" Garrus asked back.

"I want to, but I need to know you really want this" The look in Garrus' eyes told him everything he needed to know "….. Alright, let's go see if Fade is willing to talk." Mads replied.

Things had been tough the last couple of days. Thane was dealing with matters relating to his son, and mr. Rorke seemed to have pulled of one of the most gruesome kills yet. Skinning a man alive and hiding his organs around Elias' apartment in a twisted game of hide and seek. Now, it was time to help Garrus.

Stepping into the warehouse, they were greeted with two large Krogans wearing full body armor. Looking as mean as ever, holding their shotguns by their waist. Garrus took the lead this time, probably because he wanted to be in charge of it. And that made Mads realize, Garrus was going to do this with or without Mads' help.

"Where is Fade?" Garrus asked as he kept his hand on his deagle's grip. The Krogans looked at each other before pulling away to show nothing other than a Volus, slowly making his way forward. His posture was arrogant and that was only backed up by the Krogans.

"I'm Fade." The Volus claimed with an even more arrgorant voice.

"You're Fade?" Garrus asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I know I may not be what you expected, but let's get down to business. Which one of you wants to disappear?" The Volus asked.

"We would like the reverse deal, where you make someone... _Reappear_ " Garrus replied.

"That's not the service we offer." The Volus explained in an almost offended tone.

"You are in dire need of a re-branding anyhow, why not start here?" Mads asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Guards, escort these gentlemen out of here." The Volus ordered.

Mads and Garrus both drew the guns, and killed the Krogans before they could even properly wield theirs. Their heavy bodies collapsed on the floor with a bang. The Volus looked at his bodyguards with confusion.

"They were expensive! So much for paid protection..." The Volus remarked with a sigh.

Mads squatted down to be eye level with the Volus. "I think you and I can make a deal. You tell us where to find the real Fade, and we'll let your sorry ass walk out of here with all fingers still attached to your hand. How does that sound?" Mads asked.

"You make a pretty good case. Fade is at our base of operation." The Volus replied with a bit nervous tone, hoping the answer was good enough.

"And where would that be?" Mads asked.

"In the factory district, working out of the old prefab foundry." The Vouls proclaimed.

"I know the place." Garrus remarked.

"Be aware. He has a lot of Blue suns protected him, Harkin believes they all answer to him." The Volus explained.

"Harkin? You're telling me that old drunk is Fade?" Mads asked in disbelief.

"Well... He got fired from C-sec a while back. He decided to use his knowledge to start a new business helping people disappear." The Volus explained.

"Well, seems like we must find good ol' Harkin and pay him a small visit. Shall we?" Mads asked as he gestured towards the door. Garrus nodded and they both went out. Leaving the Volus with the corpses.

It wasn't a long route to the place Harkin was at. The Volus wasn't lying when he said Harkin had protection as well, although these seemed to be better trained than those Krogans. Harkin hadn't noticed them as they pulled up, probably thought they were just some new clients there for the... _Services_ they provided.

"Harkin! So good to see you again. I trust the nose isn't giving you too much trouble?" Mads greeted as Harkin stopped straight in his tracks.

"YOU!" To say Harkin was surprised would be an understatement. "Fucking kill them!" Harkin ordered as he rushed away. The Blue Suns began to fire their weapons at Mads, Garrus and Thane. Garrus had a certain fury in his eyes as he rushed ahead. It was unlike him, normally a sniper with an undying patience. Now, he stormed after Harkin, killing off each thug with a skill that was unrivaled.

Mads and Thane actually had a hard time keeping up. Garrus left a huge amount of bodies in his wake. He had his mind set on a certain goal, and he was to stop at nothing to achieve it. Mads could in a sense admire that. He just hoped he wouldn't go too far.

Garrus tore through all the mercs like they were nothing, just simple obstacles in the way of his goal. Lord have mercy on Harkin, because Garrus sure as hell wouldn't have. "NOWHERE TO RUN HARKIN!" Garrus yelled at the former C-sec officer as he snapped the neck of a poor merc.

A Prefab foundry could now be added to the places they had fought. That list must be pretty long by now. Mads could probably write a book on urban warfare. Hell, they all could. Not that any of that mattered right now. As Garrus' wrath unfolded in front of them.

Harkin thought he had gotten away, even took a few seconds to mock Mads and Thane, but Garrus had been doing some smart thinking for the first time in his life, and found a path that put him right in Harkin's way. It was the second time that day Harkin was surprised, and he soon found himself ass on the ground. To make it even better, Garrus even gave Harkin a broken nose again.

"Harkin, I'm hurt. Why would you run from us? I thought we used to be pals." Garrus asked.

"No hard feelings Garrus. I'm sure you and I can work something out." Harkin tried to sweeten it up.

"I'm looking for a client of yours." Garrus remarked.

"Well, if you do a little something for me-" Harkin was interrupted by a punch from Garrus. Harkin was struggling to get back up, grunting in pain from the punch.

"Don't be a wise ass now, Harkin. Garrus asked nicely. I'd recommend giving him an answer." Mads suggested.

"Really?" Harkin asked sarcastically.

"I'm looking for a Turian by the name of Sidonis-" Garrus was cut off by Harkin.

"I'm not telling you shit. My business would go belly up pretty quickly if I began to give out information." Garrus grabbed Harkin by the throat and pulled him close.

"Oh yeah? I can think of a lot of worse things that could happen to you. Like... A broken spine!" Garrus threw Harkin on the ground and pressed him under his metal boot, choking him from air.

"Alright! Alright! I'll give you what you want!" Harkin promised, Garrus released him from his hold. Harkin got back up and went over the terminal to set up a meeting. He got Sidonis on the line, told him they had to meet. Of course, this would be a perfect opportunity for Garrus. Question was, what about Harkin?

"I have given you what you wanted. Can I go now?" Harkin asked.

"Like you said Harkin, you just destroyed your own business. Perhaps a quick death would be more merciful?" Garrus stated.

"Come on Garrus. You're not like that." Harkin pleaded.

"Maybe not, but you deserve some kind of punishment. I could slow you down a little." Garrus pressed his Deagle against the thigh of Harkin.

A single shot. A .50 AE bullet ripping through Harkin's leg sure would slow him down. In the hopes that C-sec could decide his fate. Mads couldn't say that Harkin deserved any better. He was a scumbag, through and through. And hopefully this would be the last time they would see each other.

* * *

Garrus was hell bent on going through with it. It was the same as with Liara. Mads seriously doubted this would work out in Garrus' favor in the long run. Revenge usually left more open wounds than it closed. Still, Mads was hardly anyone to speak about this. They flew through the air at a speed that was sure to break several traffic laws on the citadel.

Garrus landed at a vantage point. Like the sniper he was, he found the perfect place. He Measured everything, and began to unpack his sniper. Putting it into the right position. Mads walked over to him.

"You still sure?" Mads asked.

"Of course. How many times shall I tell you?" Garrus was getting annoyed at Mads attempting to push some sort of ethical code.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Mads asked, knowing full well that Garrus was on the course, and there would be nothing that could stop him.

"You keep him talking, I'll let you know when I got him in my sights." Garrus explained as he calibrated his scope to the right measurements.

"Alright, I'll do it." Mads said as he got ready to jump back into the skycar and fly down to the street where they would meet.

"Romanov!" Garrus called out. Mads turned around and faced Garrus. "I appreciate what you are doing here. I won't forget it." Mads nodded at Garrus.

A few seconds later Mads stood on the street. He looked out at the crowd that was formed there, and Mads tried to spot the person they were looking for. He saw him, sitting on a bench by himself in civilian clothes. He looked lonely and sighed as he looked at the time on his omni-tool. Mads walked over to him, and gave Sidonis a look that told him that Mads were there for him.

Sidonis stood up and walked over to Mads with an annoyed look on his face. "What's all this? Where is fade?" He asked a bit more nervous.

"Fade couldn't make it. Not to worry though, we'll get this sorted in a few moments." Mads stated, awaiting the call in his ear piece from Garrus.

"And you're sure this will work this time?" Sidonis asked with concern.

"Oh, you won't have to worry about anything in the future." Mads replied with an evil smile that Sidonis didn't pick up on.

"Romanov. I got him in my sights, step aside." Garrus said over the radio. Mads did as requested. Sidonis understood within seconds and began to make a run for it.

He didn't get very far before a shot rang out in the street. Sidonis collapsed from the bullet wound in his back, he died within seconds. People began to panic around Mads, it allowed for a perfect get-away. Mads quickly got back in the skycar and flew back to the platform Garrus was standing on.

Garrus got in quickly and they both flew away from the crime scene. They could already hear the sirens of C-sec coming closer. Luckily they didn't know it was them... Yet. They flew back to the Normandy dock. They both got out, and Mads noticed Garrus had been pretty quiet. (That was pretty unusual.)

"Hey Garrus?" Mads asked.

"What?" Garrus asked back.

"You want to go get a drink tonight? There is a lovely bar nearby." Mads suggested.

"Hmmmm... That would be nice." Garrus actually liked the idea. He had gotten a thirst after pulling the trigger. Perhaps it wasn't as easy as firing a single shot.

"Alright, we'll meet there." Mads said as he gave the location to Garrus.

* * *

 **Later that night.**

Mads stood outside the small bar. It was a bar that was inspired by Irish pubs, and it had live music. Mads was smoking a cigarette as he waited for Garrus to get his sorry ass there. He probably got side-tracked by a gun shop that sold new scopes.

A lot of people passed by. The bar was mostly human dominated, but it served everyone that walked in. Mads had chosen the place after getting a drink there about 2 years ago, when he was still injured in his leg.

There weren't a lot of people in there. But that was probably because it was a Wednesday, and most people had work then next day. Still, there were enough people to have a small unknown band to play in there. They seemed to be playing Irish music, which was usually fast paced and funny.

Garrus finally showed up, he had tried to change into something that could be considered... Casual? Maybe, but Mads apperiated the effort. "Glad you could make it." Mads remarked.

"I came as fast as I could." Garrus replied.

"Let's just get something to drink." Mads suggested.

"I'm in on that." Garrus followed Mads inside. They sat down at a couch. Mads ordered a Guinness beer and Garrus got some Turian wine. They drank to the lovely Irish music that was going on. Mads was trying to get Garrus to open up. It was the least he could do.

"You still think that... erh... That it was the right choice?" Mads asked. Garrus took a sip of his wine before answering.

"Does it matter? It's done. What do you expect me to say?" Garrus asked back.

"I don't know... Perhaps the old Cliché: 'I feel empty inside.' Or something like that." Mads remarked with a sigh as he sat back in his seat.

"Well... The chapter is closed. This closure meant a lot to me. Do I feel better? No, but at least I don't have to give any more thought." Garrus said. Sipping more on his wine.

"Guess that's true. Not like I should judge..." Mads replied.

"So, how's things with Tali?" Garrus shifted the subject. Mads looked up at him.

"They're good. These last couple of days have been some of the happiest ones in a long time." Mads replied as he took a sip of his beer.

"It was about time you two got together. The flirting in the air was getting to thick." Garrus remarked.

"Oh, don't expect it to get any less annoying." Mads joked.

"Yeah, I guess I'm gonna have to get used to it." Garrus laughed.

"So... You been having any... Romantic feelings lately?" Mads asked. It was mostly meant as a joke. Garrus drank the last wine in his glass and was quick to order a new one.

"Well... If you can keep your royal mouth shut, I might tell you." Garrus promised.

"Is that so?" Garrus nodded "In that case, my lips are sealed." Mads promised.

"Alright... So... Erh... I feel like there might be some chemistry between me and... Kasumi." Garrus explained. Mads was taken back.

"Really?" Mads asked, more curious than anything else.

"Yeah, I do kinda like the... Human female body. And we can speak quite well together." Garrus went on.

"Fair enough. I agree, she is not bad looking. You think she would go for a Turian?" Mads asked further.

"Guess that remains to be seen. It's probably just wishful thinking on my part." Garrus replied.

"Kasumi seem pretty sweet. I'm certain she would at least give you a chance. Perhaps you just need a little push, like I did." Mads suggested.

"Maybe..." Garrus said. The conversation fell dead in the water. Mads had an idea. The band seemed to take a break on the stage.

"Hey Garrus, wanna hear some old Irish song I know?" Mads asked as he hit Garrus' forearm.

"Sure, go for it." Garrus said, mostly as a joke.

Mads, however, did so. He went up on the stage and got the band to play the music in the background. Mads cleared his throat. The patrons in the bar noticed who it was on the stage, and looked on with interest.

 **A/N: In case you guys want to hear the song, it's called "Seven Drunken Nights" :)**

"As I went home on Monday night as drunk as drunk could be  
I saw a horse outside the door where my old horse should be  
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me  
Who owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be?" Mads sang, most of the people in the bar seemed to pick up on what song it was, and slowly sing along.

"Ah, you're drunk,  
you're drunk you silly old fool,  
still you can not see  
That's a lovely sow that me mother sent to me  
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more  
But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before"

Most people got into the mood. Following the verses as Mads sang along. Garrus had never really noticed, but Mads was actually pretty good at singing. It was a weird fact, but of course, Mads was better at fighting.

"And as I went home on Thursday night as drunk as drunk could be  
I saw two boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be  
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me  
Who owns them boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be"

"Ah, you're drunk,  
you're drunk you silly old fool,  
still you can not see  
They're two lovely Geranium pots me mother sent to me  
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more  
But laces in Geranium pots I never saw before"

The night just got better from that point forward as the song wrapped up. Everyone was cheerful in the bar, and Garrus and Mads began to drink a bit more than they should. Mads was chugging whiskey, while Garrus was seeing how many shots he could take in a competition against random bar patron.

And as it neared 2 AM in the night, Mads and Garrus finally left the bar. They still sang the song together as they walked drunkenly through the streets of the citadel. Mads nearly falling on his ass several times, and Garrus getting distracted by new scopes for his rifles. He would mumble on about how useful they would be.

As they walked down the street with only dim lights as their company, Garrus spoke up. "Hey Romanov?"

"Yeah?" Mads asked, followed by a hiccup.

"What was in that box..." Garrus had to stop up and think, due to just how drunk he was "-you brought from the migrant fleet?"

Mads also had to think as he looked up at the artificial sky. "... OH, That one!" Mads remembered with a laugh. "You really want to know?" Mads teased.

"Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't have asked." Garrus replied.

"Quarian wine." Mads answered.

"No way!" Garrus didn't believe it right away. Quarian wine was rare, and hard to get. It was even more unlikely that an outsider would be allowed to buy some.

"Yeah, figured it would be something- **Hiccup** -special for her." Mads replied. The two stopped up as Mads attempted to light a cigarette. Garrus had to balance Mads as he had trouble standing on his own.

"You know Romanov... I'm... Erh... Really glad you helped me." Garrus said with a low voice, like it was sort of humiliating for him to thank some else for their help. Guess it was that whole Turian warrior code playing in.

Mads looked over at Garrus as he took a puff from his cigarette. He blew out the smoke. "Garrus, you have been there since we learned the truth about Saren. You helped me in many different ways, this is a favor between brothers. But – **Hiccup** – Don't think I won't cash in that favors from your Deagle." Mads drunkenly replied. Garrus laughed.

They two walked back to the Normandy through the mostly empty wards as they sang on from the song in the pub. They both laughed, and in the sense, bonded as brothers even more than they already had.

Of course, Mads had... Forgotten to tell Tali he was going out with Garrus for a drink. It would be fun explained that when they got back. As they walked into the Normandy and awaited for the decontamination to finish, they realized that very few people were up at time. Which was good, seeing the Captain and his closest mate stumbling around drunk probably wouldn't be a good thing.

Still, Garrus was less drunk than Mads. So he had an obligation to see the captain safely to his quarters, even if that meant facing the possible wrath by a Quarian.

* * *

It had been a long time since Mads had said he would be back. Tali tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for her bond mate to return home. To be honest, she was getting worried. Maybe he had been corned in an alley and stabbed? No, he could look after himself. She thought. She just had to wait until he came back.

Luckily, it wasn't long before the door opened, only to reveal both Mads, with a cigarette in his mouth, and Garrus holding him in place. At first, Tali thought something bad might have happened, until it became all too clear that he was drunk. Then, she worried what Garrus would think. She was in the captain's quarters close to 2:30 am in the night. As far as she knew, Garrus knew nothing of their relationship.

"Tali!" Mads greeted drunkenly as he broke away from Garrus hold and tried to hold his balance as he walked over to her.

"What the hell were you doing?" She asked with anger in her voice.

"What? - **Hiccup** – We were just having a drink... Or two." Mads tried to defend himself. His arguments however, left a lot to be desired.

"I think it was a few more than two." Tali got angry again.

"Tali... Me and Romanov were just celebrated me closing a chapter in my life. No reason to go all ballistic on him." Garrus came to Mads' aid.

Tali sighed, of course they had gone out to celebrate something like that. "It's just that... I want to know where you are." Tali tried to explain.

"I'm sorry Love... I didn't mean to upset you." Mads pulled her into a hug. Tali just couldn't be angry when his arms were wrapped around her.

"It's alright... I forgive you." Tali said.

"Thank you... Now-... Who will help me get the boots off?" Mads asked. Garrus and Tali looked at each other.

"I got some... erh... calibration to do... See you in the morning Romanov." Garrus backed out and waved at them both as he slipped out.

"Yeah sure, see ya Garrus!" Mads yelled with a laugh after him. Tali sighed once again.

"Fine, I'll help with the boots." And so she did. And she silently cursed him for choosing to wear those dumb jackboots, there were almost impossible to get off. Still, she got it done. Mads made up for it by being extra lovely as they went to sleep.

Of course she couldn't stay angry at him.


	48. Chapter 47: Ethics

_**A/N: Hey guys!**_

 **KanisRussell with a small update here. The commission featuring Tali and Mads still isn't finished. However, I have another commission uploaded on my deviantart (KanisRussell) showing a glimpse of the future of this Fic. Draw your own conclusions from it, since I won't offer any spoilers, at least not here.**

 **Enjoy the chapter, and remember to leave some reviews** **J**

 **5/8 2185**

 **Normandy, on route to Tuchanka.**

"You fascinate me, Romanov. I have yet to meet someone with almost the same beliefs as me." Thane remarked. Mads looked out the window of the life support room.

"How so?" Mads asked.

"Religion plays an important role in your life, as it does mine. Your efforts in helping me proves as much. Of which I am eternally grateful." Thane replied, still keeping his fingers locked in a prayer. Mads stepped away from the window and sat down in front of him.

"Maybe... Maybe we are no different. I know which way the Lord has paved for me. Do you know yours?" Mads asked. Thane stared into Mads' eyes, which told him Mads believed what he just said.

"I don't enjoy killing, Thane. But when done righteously, it's just a chore... like any other. This galaxy is weak, and on the brink." Mads explained as he pulled out his pack of cigarette. He placed one between his lips and gave light to it. Thane continued to look at Mads curiously.

"Interesting. Is that your philosophy?" Thane asked. Mads puffed out some smoke as he leaned back in his chair.

"The council is unwilling to do what needs to be done. I however, am willing. People think I'm crazy... Maybe I am. But I stand by in what I believe." Mads replied taking another drag from his cigarette.

"That brings up the question. Are you willing as well?" Mads asked.

"I wish for a good galaxy. Kolyat was the only good thing I ever added to this world. I'll be damned if he is robbed of the galaxy." Thane said in a convincing tone.

"Good... If I may... How is it like to be a father?" Mads asked.

There was a long silence by Thane. He seemed deep in thought, trying to come up with a good answer. His fingers finally fell out of that prayer. "I'm hardly a good father. But Kolyat's birth was the happiest day in my life. I wanted for him to become something better. That's what fatherhood is all about. Caring and protecting. Seems I wasn't good at that." Thane remarked.

"There is still time. As soon as we are done with this mission, speak with your son. Try to understand him." Mads said.

"I hope it is that simple. Rest assured, I will do my best." Thane promised.

"That's all you can do. If you need some help, just call me. Okay?"

"Of course. Thank you Romanov... You have helped more than most. May the Gods watch over you." Thane replied.

"Don't mention it. As long as you help out with this mission, we're even steven." Mads said. Thane actually gave a smile and nodded.

* * *

 **7/8 2185**

 **Tuchanka.**

Tuchanka is a mess. No other way around it. If Mads thought Omega was a shithole, he was in for a whole new perceptive. He realized that almost as soon as he stepped off the shuttle. Grunt and Mordin followed him close behind. Both had asked for favors, and so he decided to indulge them. Grunt had to... Grow up. And Mordin wished to find his assistant.

Tuchanka looked like the world of Mad Max. The Krogan had done what kept the humans from killing each other in the cold war. Nuclear holocaust. They were probably proud of it. Walking through the ruins, they received ugly stares from the Krogans. This whole planet seemed to be divided into clans.

Mads remembered the Urdont clan, and Wrex. And for a brief moment he wondered where Wrex was. That was answered pretty soon. Sitting onto his throne like a king of his people. A throne of stone, symbolizing his rule perhaps? Or maybe they just didn't have anything better to work with. Mads couldn't help but be happy to see Wrex. It had been too long, but he seemed to have gotten off alright.

Wrex seemed thrilled when he saw Mads. He had been debating with another clan member about some reform issues they faced. Something about appearing weak. The life of a Krogan chief could not be an easy one.

"Is that?-... ROMANOV?" Wrex yelled out as he stood up from his throne and walked over to Mads.

"Wrex, you big fucking meatloaf. How are you?" Mads asked. He was pulled into an iron hug by Wrex that knocked the air out of his lungs. Wrex pulled away after a few seconds.

"Last I heard you died in space. How the fuck did you come back?" Wrex asked with curiosity.

"A small deal. Not to worry." Mads replied, keeping it short.

"No shit? You always were a tough son-of-a-bitch." Wrex laughed. "What brings you to Tuchanka?" Wrex asked, once again curious.

"These two fellas." Mads pointed to Mordin and Grunt. "The baby Krogan seems to have an unusual high aggressive attitude. Something called him back here." Mads explained.

Wrex went over to smell Grunt and looked him deep in the eyes. He was quick to conclude what was wrong, or rather, right. "There is nothing wrong with the kid. He is just growing up." Wrex said as he turned to face Romanov.

"Growing up? You mean he is entering his puberty?" Mads asked with disbelief.

"I wouldn't call it that. He is without a clan." Wrex explained and turned to Grunt. "Do you desire to join a clan?" He asked Grunt.

Grunt looked at Wrex, and then looked at Mads. Perhaps for approval? It's hard to tell with these Krogans. "Do whatever is best." Mads sealed him off from the conversation.

"Yes." Grunt replied.

"Do you wish to join clan Urdnot?" Wrex asked. "I can smell you were born without a clan." Wrex remarked.

"Warlord Okeer made me." Grunt said.

"We have no love for Okeer." Wrex commented.

"Neither do I. I wish to join your clan." Grunt requested.

"Do you? Speak with the Shaman. He will decide if you are good enough." Wrex ordered. Grunt stepped away and Mads gestured for Mordin to step up.

"You bring me a Salarian? What kind of circus do you run this time around, Romanov?" Wrex asked with a laugh.

"The kind that will stop the collectors. Mordin here need your help." Mads said, giving the word to Mordin.

"We are looking for my lost assistant. He is believed to have been captured by a rival clan here on Tuchanka." Mordin, at his usual fast pace.

"Speak with the head scout. He'll know." Wrex dismissed. Mordin stepped down.

"Thank you Wrex." Mads said before leaving to see the Shaman.

* * *

The Krogan from before was there as well. Arguing with the Shaman regarding not sending Grunt to do _The rite of passage._ His name seemed to be Gatatog Uvenk. He seemed to be the traditional in Wrex's court. The Shaman seemed to dismiss the claims made by Uvenk.

"So this is the one?" The Shaman asked as Grunt stepped up.

"I'm a Grunt. Perfect Krogan." Grunt replied as he stepped right up to the face of the Shaman.

"That remains to be seen." The Shaman stepped up to smell him. A common way for Krogans to determine who the spoke to.

"You are not honestly considering this impure Krogan to be tested? He doesn't even have a mother!" Uvenk spoke with disgust in this tone.

"You are in no place to question what I do!" The Shaman fired back.

"He has no place along us!" Uvenk persisted.

"Shut up fuck face." Mads stepped in. "Grunt is willing to do what it takes." Mads confirmed.

"How dare you speak like that Human?" Uvenk snared.

"How dare I? Let me fucking show you." Mads went over to him. He stared at him for a minute. The Krogan dwarfed Mads, even though Mads was quite tall. Mads then, in a quick notion, kicking the knee of Uvenk. Uvenk quickly fell and Mads procced to punch him in the face a couple of times.

"Hah! I like your style human. A breath of fresh air compared to even some of the Krogan here." The Shaman laughed.

"Now-" Mads took a moment to regain his breath as Uvenk slowly arose from the ground mumbling a curse. "What does Grunt need to do?" Mads asked.

The Shaman still took a moment to think about if Grunt was able and worthy of doing the rite. Uvenk gave one last protest. The barking only drove the Shaman further to one option.

"Grunt is required to travel to the Keystone and prove himself worthy. However, he needs a Krantt. An ally to stand by him. What do you say Grunt?" The Shaman asked. Grunt took a few moments to think.

"Romanov is my Krantt. He is a worthy ally." Grunt said.

"Good, then it is settled." The Shaman began to prepare, and likewise did Mads and Grunt. What the fuck was the keystone? And what would they be doing there. If Mads knew enough about Krogan culture, he had an idea.

* * *

Grunt, of course, was all too thrilled to go. That much was certain as they rode in the big truck to the Keystone. The Shaman showed them the way. Mads realized he probably should have picked Garrus instead of Mordin for this, but there was no backing out now.

Stepping unto the grounds, Mads realized this place was where all Krogan came to do their rite. It was tradition. It ran in their blood. Fight wave after wave and survive to tell the tale. They would encounter it all, at least all Tuchanka could offer. Grunt was already getting ready for the fight ahead. Mads made sure all weapons had ammo in them.

"Hit the dinner bell!" Mads ordered. Grunt was all too happy to do it. The sound of the stones created the roars of the enemies coming for them.

"Stick together, and we'll get through this." Mads ordered. They both seemed to agree on that idea.

Varren was their first enemy. Mads had dealt with them many times before. They had lost their appeal. They weren't scary or tough anymore. Just annoying feral animals to deal with. They came in waves, and the team did well in holding them at bay.

At some point, they stopped coming. They must have killed enough to scare them off. Mads looked over at both Mordin and Grunt, who both nodded to procced. They pressed the buttons again, and it played that monologue about being strong.

This time, it wasn't Varren. This time it was Klixen. A enemy Mads hadn't encountered yet. But, if it bleeds, you can kill it. And these fuckers bleed. They operated a bit like Rachni, and that it a bit more familiar. The AA-12 made quick work of them.

Grunt was overjoyed in his current situation. Simply slaughtering all that came within his path. Mads could see it in the eyes of the baby Krogan whenever he looked over at him. Grunt had almost found his calling, his purpose. How could Mads judge him? This was their culture. Like the Spartans of ancient Greece, only the strong were allowed.

Mordin however, seemed more annoyed than anything. He knew warfare, but didn't like it out in the open. STG teams were known for stealth. Still, he helped out where he could. More Klixen came than Varren, some were stronger than others, but all failed in doing any damage.

Finally, they stopped coming as well. Probably because they had learned their lesson and seen too many of their breathern die to these outsiders. Mads took a deep breath and let out a chuckle.

"We fucking did it." He laughed. However, the others didn't seem to share this view. They looked at something behind Mads. Mads was quick to turn around, and oh boy, was he in for a nice surprise.

"... Fuck me." Mads muttered as the Thresher Maw came into view. The ground shaking as the giant creature came shooting out of the ground.

Grunt let out a roar and promptly went to work. Mads and Mordin were quick to help him out. Lethal acid splattered around them, the creature let out a roar of its own. No doubt it wanted them all dead. They had stay behind cover, at least if they wanted their skin to be intact. Which Mads felt like. Last time Mads fought a Thresher Maw, he had the help of a fucking mako. Not this time, Mads really fucking hoped Grunt was the perfect Krogan.

The fight was long and hard, exchanging shots with the Thresher Maw was not how Mads saw this going. The fight was a stalemate, they didn't have much of anything to counter the Thresher Maw. Until Mads had an idea.

"Grunt!" Mads called out.

"What is it?" Grunt was disinterested in talking. Which was clearly understandable.

"Go out in the open and encourage it to spit acid!" Mads ordered.

"What?" Grunt thought he had heard wrong.

"JUST FUCKING DO IT!" Mads yelled. Grunt was never one to back down from something that seemed suicidal.

Stepping out, Grunt fired his weapons at the Thresher Maw. Slowly it began to turn its attention to Grunt. Grunt could see it lining up for an attack, and he was prepared for whatever would come next.

Mads jumped out of cover and quickly pulled the pin out of a grenade with his teeth and threw it into the Thresher Maw's open mouth. The foreign object in its mouth caused it to stop it's attack while it tried to figure out what it was.

Fortunately for them, it didn't figure it out before the grenade went off. Taking half of the Thresher Maw's head with it. The limp body fell to the ground and shook the entire place. _The bigger they are, the harder they fall._

Mads went over and kicked the animal to see if it was still alive. He was relieved to find it as dead as it could be.

"Let's get the fuck out of here." Mads ordered. They both seemed to agree.

´Mads hadn't expected to see Uvenk again, at least not so soon. Yet there he was, standing on a rock and giving a speech about a possible loophole for Grunt, where they could accept him. Expect Grunt would be hidden and not granted the rights of some of the other Krogans.

"Shut. The. Fuck. UP!" Mads interrupted. The harsh tone did as intended. Uvenk stopped dead in his tracks and looked at him.

"The words you speak, so full of hypocrisy. Looking back in hindsight is always easy, isn't it? Grunt has proven himself today. He is as good, if not better, a Krogan than any of you shits could ever fucking claim to be." Mads ranted.

Grunt nodded in agreement. "I am true Krogan. I will not accept this weak position you offer me."

"Then you must be swept under the rug. A terrible shame, we could really have used someone who could take down a Thresher Maw." Uvenk stated before ordered his goons to take care of business.

Once again, they fought. How many bullets had Mads fired? How many people had he killed? The list seemed pretty damn long at this point. Like he didn't give it a second fought when he mowed down the horribly inferior Krogans and letting Grunt have his way with Uvenk.

Doesn't matter, that's what he thinks.

 _Doesn't matter? A stone cold killer, through and through Romanov._

Shut up. He doesn't need this. What do they know? There are but voices. Long dead by now, unable to touch him. Still, he fears them. He fears their judgment.

* * *

The world is weak. It's soft. It can't do what needs to be done. That's why he exists. To do what other people are unable to do.

The reapers. The name is supposed to install fear in anyone who hears it. To fear a fate that will come no matter what. The alliance is weak. The council is weak. The whole galaxy is weak. Too damn content on kicking their feet up.

The world _is_ weak _,_ the whole galaxy _is_ weak.

Yet, seeing Tali dying in his dreams. Hearing himself scream and cry as she dies in his arms are enough to make him wonder. Is he weak? Is he slowing himself down?

She has too many bullet holes. Too many to live through it. The setting can only be described as a ruined city, yet he doesn't know what city it is. Tali's voice is weak as it calls for him. Mads can't help but throw his rifle to the ground and run to her.

She collapses in his arms. With her dying breath, he can hear what she says.

"Why did you let this happen?" The body goes limp in his arms. A tear rolls down his cheek and drops unto her. He watches a dead face. A face of someone he loves. Yet she asks him a question he cannot answer.

* * *

Mads shoots up in bed. He is covered in sweat as he reaches for his Magnum and quickly scans the room for any threat. Tali is awaken by his sudden movements.

"Mads! Are you alright?" She asks as Mads try to regain his breath.

"Just a-... -A nightmare... Nothing to worry about." Mads states as he stands up from the bed and walks over to his desk to take the pack of Prince Cigarettes and pull out a single one. His hands are shaking as he attempts to give fire from his Zippo lighter.

"Come on you piece of shit." Mads mutters as he finally gets it to work. He is relieved as the nicotine enters his system and finally allows him to be calm.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tali asks as she comes up behind him.

"No!" Mads almost yells. He quickly realizes it makes Tali go a few steps back. "It's nothing serious." He reaffirms. Just like the voices. Nothing anyone else should worry about.

She hugs Mads from behind. That hug calms him down more than any amount of cigarettes ever could. He smiles at the feeling. "I love you." She whispers into his back.

"I love you too, Mrs. Vas Normandy. More than you could ever know." Mads replies.

Now it's her turn to smile. Although Mads can't see it.

"Can I come with you tomorrow?" She asked.

Mads thinks about it for a moment. Wouldn't Tuchanka be dangerous for someone like her? That's irrelevant. She has been worse places, and she knows how to take care of herself. And he will be there to protect her if nothing else.

"Of course, my Lyubimaya." Mads said.

"What does that mean?" She asked with a curious tone.

" _My favorite."_ Mads replied lovingly as he pulled her back to bed.

* * *

"You know Romanov. You didn't have to make such a big fucking deal out of this. Killing a Thresher Maw hasn't been done in the rite since I did it." Wrex mumbled as Mads, Tali and Mordin stood before him.

"Figured I would spice it up a little. And you won't be seeing much to Uvenk in the future." Mads replied.

"I know. He was a pain in my ass. Nicely done. Go see the scout master. He will give you the directions. If there is any." Wrex said.

"Thank you Wrex." Mads replied before heading away.

"It's nice to see Wrex again." Tali remarked as they went the short distance to the scout master.

"Really? Did you get along with him back on the Normandy?" Mads asked.

"Kinda, he showed me a thing or two about shotguns. Still, it's nice to see an old face that isn't Garrus." She joked.

"True enough." Mads laughed.

They managed to get the information out of the scout master, even though he didn't really want to share it. The Salarians were dead in his eyes, why keep an eye out for one in particular? Still, Wrex had told him to relay any information he had, and give them a ride. So he did as ordered.

The ride was short and almost to the front door. Now, they faced the matter of actually getting to the front door. This was a different clan, one that was content on doing things their own way. And they sure as well weren't going to let Mads, Tali and Mordin go right through. So, of course, this would be difficult. Clan Weyrloc was the name, but they were nothing to fear.

They finally found an entrance, and it didn't take long before Mads saw something that surprised him. There, on the filthy ground, lied a dead human. Mads squatted down to take a closer look, not sure what to expect, but most likely looking for answers. Mordin came up beside him and Tali stood right by Mads.

The body was littered with bruises, and looked far from healthy. Whoever they were, they had died recently. Mads closed the eyelids to mask the dead eyes looking back at him. "What's your thoughts, doc?" Mads asked as he still studied the body.

Mordin did a quick scan of the body and was quick with an answer. "Sores, Tumors. Bruises at ankles and wrists. Possibly restrains. Repeated track marks for injections entry points. Most likely a test subject." Mordin answered.

"Poor soul. May you find your peace with God." Mads regretted having to leave this body here, perhaps there was a family somewhere in the galaxy that the body belonged to. Yet, there was no way of knowing. "What are they testing on? And why are they doing it on humans?" Mads asked confused.

"Clearly used as a test subject for the Krogan Genophage." Mordin remarked.

"And remind me why they need humans for this?" Mads asked.

"Early testing. Human are diverse and useful for early doses. They are likely to use Varren later in development."

"This is fucking sick." Mads arose from his squatting position.

"Agreed. Nothing ethical about this. But cleaver usage by whoever is the head of staff here." Mordin said.

"Let's move on." Mads ordered.

They proceeded further down the rabbit hole. Hoping to recuse Maelon and put a stop to whatever cure they were trying to make. Mads was not against making a cure for the Krogans, they deserve closure. But, this was the wrong way to go about it. And using humans for their test only made it more personal.

Finally, they were comforted by some Krogan of high level in the clan. They stood upon a catwalk as Mads, Tali and Mordin walked through one of those metal doors. The Krogan was there to deliver a threat. Leave and spread the message of their coming.

"Hey dickhead!" Mads yelled, the Krogan turned to him with an angry glare. "We're not leaving until we have the Salarian. You either step aside, or I'll make sure you'll be sent to your family in pieces." Mads threated back.

The Krogan laughed. "Ha! That almost sounded like a threat."

"It was, but now-" Mads took his magnum and fired a round into the gas pipe beneath them. Being thick headed, the Krogans didn't notice, instead taunting Mads. "It's a fact." The pipe bursted into flames that consumed the Krogans in its wrath.

They fought their way through the old hospital. Finding more bodies that were cast aside after experiments were performed on them. Some of them were Krogan females. They had even volunteered by the looks of it. Sick world, but they did it in the hopes of a better future.

Mads even had a discussion with Mordin, in the middle of their mission. They left on the note that they had a mission to do. It was clear they didn't see eye to eye on this whole Genophage issue.

It didn't take long before they located the sick Krogan the scout master had spoken off. He was sitting on the ground, like a man defeated. His voice deprived of that Krogan authority they usually had.

"You killed the blood pack?" The Krogan asked as he looked up at Mads.

"You're the lost scout? Get back to the camp, we cleared the way." Mads ordered.

"I can't. I'm doing this to better the Krogan future. They injected me with drugs, and told me it was for the better good."

"Didn't you hear me, shit-for-brains? Why the fuck are you sticking around?" Mads asked impatiently.

"I have to stay!" He fired back. "They are doing this for the good of all Krogan! I got caught, but this way I'll repay my debt!" He was a firm believer in that statement.

"Hmmmm. You are weak." Mads began to circle around him like a predator. "You are meat. Nothing good can ever come out of you."

"What? I'm not weak!" The Krogan began to feel fury flowing through him.

"Really? You're not weak? Then why do I see a Krogan who is whining about all the bad things that has happened on an even worse level than a Quarian with a tummy ache."

"Hey!" Tali said from the sideline. Ups... Forgot about her for a minute...

"I'm not WEAK!" The Krogan felt more adrenaline being pushed into his system.

"Then fucking prove it! March your sorry ass through that wasteland you call home, and report for duty!" Mads ordered.

"FUCK YEAH!" The Krogan got up in an instance and left feeling more pumped and ready for battle.

"Did you have to do that?" Tali asked as the Krogan was out of eardrop.

"Sorry, had to get the meatloaf moving somehow." Mads smiled under his helmet, careful not to give Mordin any ideas.

They agreed to find Maelon and put a stop to this. But that meant going through the rest of the clan and taking on the leader. It was easy though, they weren't the toughest of all Krogans. However, when they were done with the fight, they saw a scene that turned it all upside down.

Maelon was indeed alive, but his role there was a bit different than prisoner. He was actively working on the project. Hell, he probably ordered it all. Mads could see the disappointment in Mordin's face as he approached Maelon.

"Fuck me dead. So you were here willingly all along?" Mads couldn't believe it either.

They began ranting at each other. Maelon had adopted a completely different outlook than Mordin had. Was his mission noble? Maybe, but it was hard for Mads to completely accept it. Sometimes, the end justifies the means, but, this clan was hardly the ones who deserved the cure.

Mordin finally pulled a pistol on his former co-worker and was seriously tempted to pull the trigger. "Mordin." Mads spoke. "Don't do this, let the man go." Mads ordered.

Mordin kept his finger on the trigger for a little while longer, until he finally agreed. He dismissed Maelon and told him to never come near him again.

"And what I'm I supposed to do now?" Maelon asked.

"Don't know, don't care. Open a clinic on Omega or something." Maleon sighed at the suggestion from Mordin and quickly left the room.

"That leaves only the data and research." Mads said as he eyed the big screen.

"Should delete it." Mordin remarked as he began searching through it.

"I disagree. Keep it, and hold it secret. You might need it at some point." Mads suggested.

"Maybe you're right. I can always delete it later." Mordin pulled a copy to his harddrive. It was time for them to leave.

Maybe... Maybe one day the Krogans would be free. But not now. At least Mordin was on board now, full commitment.


	49. Chapter 48: Closure?

__Boots ankle deep in snow, too tight to be his old boots. A landscape that could only be described as beauty meets doom. His eyes on the horizon. A raspy breath leaves his throat; he stands and watches with binoculars in hand. Looking for... Something of notice.__

 _His face feels hot, burning even, though the temperature must be at least -5 degrees Celsius. His head is wrapped in something, yet he can't make it out. He is almost frozen in place, still looking for that special something. The uniform is an interesting case as well. It feels foreign, yet oddly familiar._

 _Then, as he looks towards the old ruined highway, he feels something. Subtle at first, but the feeling keeps growing. He NEEDS to be somewhere, and he can't waste any time what so ever. His head snaps to the side with a speed of lighting. There, a black car with a homey feel stands ready. He hurries, packs all his stuff in record time and throws it in the car._

 _He can't waste any time! He is quickly in the driver seat, not bothering with the belt as he turns the key in the ignition and hears the roar of an engine coming to life. Black smoke blows out of the side pipes and the smell of gasoline in the air fills his noose. He shifts into first gear and allows it to make some noise._

 _He needs to be SOMEWHERE!_

* * *

 **12/8 2185**

 **Aeia**

"You did this." Mads pointed a finger at the old graying man. The man used to be Jacob's father. "You let it all happen."

"Please... I got contacts in the alliance. I can give you whatever you want!" The old man pleaded.

"I thought you were my father. My earliest moral compass. A loving and caring one. But this? This paints a whole new picture." Jacob letting anger get to him, after spending most of the day hearing what his father had done.

Jacob had come to Mads a few days earlier with this request to find closure, turns out he would get more than that.

"Jacob... Please, this was not how it was supposed to turn out." Ronald Taylor tried to defend, yet it was fruitless.

"How was it supposed to turn out? Weren't your subjects loyal enough?" Jacob asked with a furious voice as he took a few steps forward. Forcing his father to take steps back.

"Please Jacob! I wasn't ready for the position as captain! Everything fell apart. I didn't want it to turn out this way." Ronald kept up his excuses.

"Perhaps I should just end you?" Jacob pulled out his pistol and pressed against the forehead of his father. "A lot of people would get closure that way!" Jacob was ready to burst, ready to paint the ground red with the blood of his own father.

The old man almost began to sob as he realized all he had done. Too little, too late. Mads however, had to stop Jacob from doing something he might regret.

"He's not worth the bullet, Jacob. Let the alliance have their way with him. These people need help." Mads said, referring of course to all the helpless crewmembers who were close to retards at this point.

Jacob had a long discussion with himself inside his head. His gun never left the forehead of his father. He was ready to kill, but, in his mind he found that Mads was right. Let his father rot in prison and face the music of his actions. This is usually what happens when you try the crown on for size.

"I hope you will learn from this, father. As you sit and watch your bones become weaker inside Jail." Jacob said, before turning away.

"I trust this is the last time we see each other Mr. Taylor. Enjoy your time." Mads said before leaving. Ronald fell to his knees begging for mercy as the subjects of the camp began to approach him.

Only thing he could hope for was that the crewmembers didn't kill him before the Alliance showed up.

* * *

 **12/8 2185**

 **Omega.**

"It's a new day for the galaxy!" Rorke raised his glass to his gang. They all cheered at him as they raised theirs as well. "No longer is the dumb and unable running the show. Today, we own it all!" Rorke had always had a way with words that spoke to whomever he preached to. That's how he escaped so lightly from the alliance court.

"Gentlemen, today starts an era for Rorke incorporated. We're going to make so much fucking money, it will make the Asari economy look like a child's piggy bank." Rorke spoke with passion. They all cheered at that. Of course they all loved money. Let 'em have it. Money really was everything in this galaxy.

"To us! The masters of the galaxy!" Rorke then procced to drown the contents of the glass down this throat. It felt good to be back in power, even though there still was a lot to be done. The crowd began to disappear as they went out to do the work they were required to do.

That left him with a little free time before he had to start more work. He had been working nonstop since killing that snake on the citadel. Now, he needed a little company. And he knew just who as well.

Omega had always been a place where rumors started. The newest one had grabbed his attention. Talk were of something called an Ardat-Yakshi, a legend along Asari literature and tradition. A closely guarded secret. One of them was here, on Omega, at least, so was the rumor. They were hunters, killed all their sexual partners.

Normally, Aria wouldn't bother to follow up on this. Omega was a hub to many dangerous people, an Ardat-Yakshi was just one of them. But, this Ardat-Yakshi seemed to have taken a special interest in Rorke, if the rumors were to be believed. And if Aria was anything, she was protective of what was hers.

* * *

 **14/8 2185**

 **Omega**

It came as a shock to see Romanov once again standing in her office. Yabbing about this Ardat-Yakshi and where he could find some Intel. She was quick to give that Intel. She never had a problem with outsourcing her problems, especially when all she had to do, was point him in the right direction.

What better candidate to take care of the problem than the famous Captain Romanov? Mads thought it was weird how easy it was to get the information out of Aria, but he wouldn't argue against it. He needed Samara focused on the collector mission, so finding and killing her daughter was needed.

Finding the place the mother lived was easy, though it was hard getting in. Mads knocked and rang the bell several times. Finally, a women opened up. The tear lines down her cheek were still very much visible. This was the place. No doubt about it.

"Miss? I understand you recently lost your daughter?" Mads asked. She broke into tears once again. Mads sighed at himself for being so blunt about it.

"... Yes." She replied with a very weak voice, probably from all the crying. A thought creeped into Mads' head at that moment, was this how his parents had it when he ' _died'._

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. I know a strangers sympathy doesn't count for much... We hope to catch the one who killed your daughter." Mads explained.

Her eyes lit up at that moment. "... You are the first ones to actually believe she was murdered. Thank you."

Did anyone else doubt her? What a terrible fate a mother could endure, especially after the death of her child. "Can you tell us about her?" Mads asked.

And she did. She told them how sweet her daughter was, how she couldn't understand this happened. Her eyes wished for justice to be served, but she couldn't tell who killed her daughter, only that her daughter seemed to have been filled with happiness up to her death.

The daughter seemed to be an artist, her name was Nef. Mads asked for permission to search her room, and the mom agreed after a little while. Everything was as Nef had left it. Samara came up beside Mads to check it all. There were many details in the room that could be used later. Mads made a mental note of it all, before going on to the terminal.

The terminal told them all they needed. Where they could find her, and how they should approach her. This was becoming a hunt, and the hunter was slowly becoming the hunted without her ever realizing it. A sweet taste crossed Mads' lounge as he realized that justice might actually be served on Omega for once. Not counting Garrus' killing spree of course.

Afterlife had a special V.I.P section, reserved for only a select few. You needed to know the right people, and Nef had given them the information they needed to get the job done. Samara pulled Mads to the side before he went in.

"You must do this alone. I can't be seen, or she will flee." Samara said.

"I know. Let's just hope I don't end up like a damn vegetable." Mads remarked.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you. Get her attention, put on your tough guy act. Draw from your knowledge of her, get her trust. I will watch over you both. When the time is right, I will strike and end it." Samara promised.

"Okay, sounds like a plan if there ever was one." Mads got into something that fitted a party more. To get the tough guy part going, he did something he never thought he would do. He removed his gloves in public.

The tattoos stood out in the light of the club, it should be an eye catcher. Now it was time for fully getting the attention of the rouge hunter. Mads quickly gained an overview of the club, saw the people within and made some sort of plan.

First, he broke up a possible fight between a dancer and a patron... By breaking the patron's wrist. Next, it was dancing with an Asari who seemed to have the time of her life. Mads even took a moment to enjoy himself, it had been too long since he was last in a nightclub. Then, it he ordered drinks for everyone. Never had that bar heard so much cheering.

All these actions within a short timeframe of each other did the trick. It wasn't long before an Asari spoke to him from the shadows. Even in the dark, he could see the facial features looked like Samara's. There was no doubt about it. He had found his prey, not it was time to finish the hunt.

They sat down and talked over a drink. Mads played the role almost too well, everything that went out of his mouth was shallowed by Morinth. He said the right things at the right times, and it was clear Morinth was interested. Mads even caught her eyeing his finger tattoos. And studying the rest of him. It was clear what she wanted to do.

It didn't take long before Mads was invited to her apartment. And from that moment, Mads had her right in his sights, ready to pull the damn trigger. He followed her, and she was completely dense to what he actually wanted to do.

Mads caught Samara sneaking after them, she had a good eye on him. Made sure he was alright. Morinth's apartment was huge; it had so many things in it. Mads still put on his play for her, showing himself as clueless to what she wished to do as she spoke of the many trophies she had gained over the years.

Finally, he sat down beside her on the leather couch. She moved in closer to him, no doubt thinking about her own pleasure.

"Many people crave safety, to know nothing evil is lurking. What about you, Romanov? Do you care for safety? Is that what you want?" Morinth asked.

Mads laughed. "Only the weak pride themselves in safety. I have no use for it." Mads remarked.

"Interesting answer. I think you are like me, Romanov. Strength over weakness." Morinth replied.

"Maybe there are a few traits we share, but we are far from the same." Morinth's face changed in a matter of seconds. This wasn't the answer she was used to. People normally gave in quickly.

Morinth grew angry, and she tried the best trick in her book. Making people look into her eyes and fall for them, do anything for them.

"Say you will do everything I ask." Morinth demanded.

"Fuck no." Mads replied in an instant. Keeping himself intact. However, Morinth knew something was up now. She jumped out of Mads' lap and quickly scanned the apartment for the one person she knew was coming.

And Samara did come in, and there was fury in both of their eyes. Both wanted the other dead. It was only natural that it went into a fight. Morinth had been on the run for 400 years, Samara had hunted her for 400 years.

But now, it was time to choose. Morinth promised the same capabilities as her mother. But, she was too dangerous to be kept alive. Mads knew what he had to do. He took out the knife that had been so carefully concealed in his boots and was quick to grab Morinth and pull her head back, exposing her throat.

"Sorry sweetheart, but you are a liability. Can't have you running around." And with that, the cold steel of the knife dug into his exposed flesh, blood pouring out as he let go. She fell to the ground, trying to cling to a life that was rapidly fading away.

"Find peace in whatever god you believe in." Mads remarked as she took her final breath. Samara looked confused, lost even. She had expected to be the one to take the life of her daughter, But in front of her was Captain Romanov, knife still dripping with blood in his hand, looking back at her.

"Had to be done." Mads remarked as he used a towel from one of the tables to clean the knife.

"Yes, such is life. It's just... Strange. Seeing your daughter dead on the ground." Samara said in a surprising sad tone Mads hadn't heard her use before.

"I understand that." Mads placed a hand on her shoulder to give her some small sense of comfort. "Let's get back to the Normandy, shall we?" Mads suggested. She nodded in agreement.

* * *

 **18/8 2185**

 **Pragia**

And then there was only one left. Jack. Mads hadn't actually spoken with her all that much, but she didn't seem like the type who enjoyed lengthy conversations. Mads had kept his part of the deal, she had gotten her access. She had poked around in the Cerberus file database and found something that caught her interest.

Pragia was the name. A Cerberus facility reclaimed by nature. Overgrown in plants. No doubt it had been forgotten about a long time ago. Jack told the sob story, how they used her. Molded her into what she is today. Experiments on kids is wrong on every level. No matter how you twist or turn it.

That's at least one of the few moral standpoints Mads has left. However, Jack had also told him the plan. Go in, and blow the place to smithereens. If that was the price of her loyalty, blowing up some place on a random planet that has long since been forgotten to time, then Mads saw no problem in it.

Small clues started popping up. Clues that began to paint a different picture. All of a sudden, Jack began to have an existential crisis. Not knowing what is true or false tends to do that. She remembered everything differently than how it actually was. All of this would have been fascinating to study in further detail.

That was of course until they ran into the blood pack. A Krogan shouting orders with a tone that could only be described as pissed at the whole situation.

"Hey Fellas!" Mads yelled to get their attention. Might as well get it over with. They all raised their gun at him.

The Krogan radioed to someone, seems like he wasn't in command after all. "May we fucking kill them already?..." Mads couldn't make out what the other side told him. "Everything you have said so far has been bullshit. These pups better have something worthwhile, or it's your skin next time." The Krogan dropped the radio on the floor.

And then, on cue, the fight began. Mads quickly took cover behind a pillar. Garrus tried to find some sort of vantage point to get a better sniping angle. Jack, however, went fucking ballistic. She had been building up fury ever since they came here. Now, she wanted nothing but to paint the walls red with blood.

The way she ripped the Krogan apart was gruesome. The fury in her eyes was unmistaken as she continued her rampage through all the soldiers. Mads and Garrus had long since stopped firing and just observed her.

"200 credits she finishes of that merc with a biotic kick." Garrus said as they both eyed the destruction in progess.

"You're fucking on." Mads shook his hand.

It didn't take long, and for once in his goddamn life, Garrus was actually right. "Pay up." Garrus said.

"You can get them alongside your next stack of paperwork that needs to be filled out." Mads replied.

"Don't tell me you are greedy. Isn't that a sin?" Garrus asked.

"Fucking fine." Mads remarked as he transferred the money. "Happy now?" Garrus nodded like a fucking idiot.

Jack stormed into her old room. There, the man on the radio was. "Who the hell are you?" Jack asked. The man arose from his sitting position on the floor.

"I doubt you remember me, Jack. It's been so long." He said as he loomed in closer. Jack pulled out her gun and pointed it at him.

"Fucking stay back!" She ordered. The trigger was so close to fire, her hand squeezing it for all it's worth.

"You weren't the only one Cerberus wronged. There were a lot of us. We were being used, so that they could perfect you!" The man said.

"Bullshit!" Jack attempted to sound firm, and tough. But, in a subtle way, it backstabbed her.

"You know it's true. You were special, we weren't. Everything they did was for you. Everyone they killed was to make sure that it didn't happen to you. Face it Jack." The man took another bold step forward.

"You don't know shit!" Her voice broke towards the end. She realized the truth. Mads sighed, why did it always have to be so fucking difficult. Mads went in between them and lowered her gun.

"What do you want to do?" Mads asked.

"I want to blow this place sky fucking high." She answered.

"And him?" Mads gestured towards the shell of a man who had taken refugee here.

"Please, let me stay here. This is where I belong." He pleaded.

"... FUCK! I don't know!" Jack was frustrated as she paced around in circles.

"Get out of here, and you better run fucking fast." Mads ordered to the man. Who finally seemed to grasp the situation. He went out in a hurry. Mads and Garrus began to arm the bomb that would be a full stop to the past of Jack. Expect it would never be that. That's the way things are.

On the way back, she played with the detonator. Probably thought of it as an eraser that would clear everything up. When they were out of range, she pressed the button. A long explosion was heard as they flew back towards the Normandy.

* * *

 **18/8 2185**

 **Captain's quarters.**

"That's was the last one." Mads remarked as he threw himself on the bed. He let out a loud sigh as his head touched the pillow.

"What now?" Tali asked as she snuggled up beside him. Mads pulled her into his arms, and let her head rest on his chest. He silently wished she didn't have to wear that helmet all the time, it did kind of hurt on his chest.

"We fly back to the citadel and get the last upgrades installed. And I'm going to take you out to get something to eat." He smiled. She looked up at him.

"I would like that. A real date" She said.

"I knew you would." Mads' thumb traced circles around her shoulder blade, and Tali realized there was no other place in the galaxy she would rather be, than with Mads at her side.

"After that..." Mads said after a little while with silence. "We're going to go get the reaper IFF. That should be a field trip." Mads remarked with a sarcastic tone.

"We'll get through it, as long as we have you." Tali replied.

"Did I ever tell you _I love you?"_ Mads asked.

"Only a few times." Tali giggled.

"I really love you Tali'Zorah." Mads smiled, and with that, they went to sleep.


	50. Chapter 49: Reaper IFF

**Hey Fellas!**

 **I just wanted to drop a little offer for all of you. Would any of you would like to join a Discord server where about 18 other writers reside? The server meant to give inspiration and help, but it's a good little community. If any of you are currently writing or thinking about writing and want a little help, feel free to PM me, so I can hook you up with the link.**

 **And, some of you may have noticed the new coverart for the story, I said it would be here at some point... Right? Head over to my deviantart to get a better look.**

 **Kind regards**

 **KanisRussell.**

* * *

 **20/8 2185**

 **Deep down in the wards, Citadel.**

Mads stepped into the room. Nothing much had changed since he had last been there. The desk in the middle was still there. It was a small room, not meant to draw attention to itself. Sergei looked up from the desk.

"Ah! Mads! So good to see you again." Sergei went up from the table and over to pull Mads into a very awkward hug. Mads managed to wiggle himself out.

"Yeah, it's good to see you as well Sergei. What happened to the young Turian?" Mads asked.

"His papa called him back, not like the little shit could learn anything anyway. Dumb as a rock." Sergei remarked as he sat down and gestured for Mads to sit down as well.

"Yeah, I could see that. So, how is business?" Mads asked as took his seat.

"Fucking booming! Thanks again for taking care of that asshat. He was never a good businessman to begin with." Sergei replied. "And have you put me gift to good use?" He asked.

"Oh hell yeah. It's fucking awesome, thanks." Mads said as he pulled it out and inspected it.

"No need to thank me." Sergei replied. "Oh, do you want a drink?" Sergei then asked with a smile.

"What do you got?" Mads asked back as he leaned back in his seat.

"Russian Standard Gold. It's supposed to be pretty good." He remarked as he fetched the bottle from a storage unit.

"Hell yeah. Pour me some." Mads smiled. Sergei placed a glass in front of him and opened the bottle.

"My belief is that the best deals are always made over a drink." Sergei commented as he poured the vodka in the glass.

"I'll second that motion." Mads said as he took a sip of it. It burned just right in his throat.

"By the way, who is that pretty little thing you have been dragging around today?" Sergei laughed. Mads' smile dropped from his face.

"Have you been stalking me?" Mads asked confused with a bit of anger mixed in.

"What? No! I saw you earlier with a Quarian." He said. "Don't worry, I don't judge." Sergei added.

"It's none of your business. Let's leave it at that." Mads said as he emptied his glass and sat it back on the table.

"Alright. You requested a shit ton of ammunition again. I can supply the 00 buck shots and the 7.62×39mm rounds, but there is a problem regarding 44. Magnum rounds." Sergei explained with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Mads asked.

"The production of said rounds are not the top priority of the arms manufacturers. Recently, collectors and hunters have begun buying more and more, especially old ammo. I can't get you more for at least a week." Sergei said.

"I don't have a week. We are going on a new mission in a couple of days." Mads replied.

"I know you are a busy man, so I brought you a solution. Just... Hear me out." Sergei said before leaving the table to fetch a small protective case from a nearby table.

"I only have 2 boxes of 44. Magnum rounds, but I will give you this to make up for it." Sergei then put the case on the table and unlocked the pin on the lock. Then he opened it and showed it to Mads.

"'Glock 20... Really? Never took you for an Austrian" Mads asked as he rubbed his forehead.

"Hear me out." Sergei defended. "Now, it's no 44. Magnum, but its practical in its own way. 10mm has been used by law enforcement for quite a long time. There are stories of police officers killing polar bears with it-"

"Polar bears? No shit?" Mads asked.

"Yeah, it's wild. It was even too much for the FBI, they made their own version. This, however, is the real deal. Combine that with the easy and fast reload provided by the detachable magazine and the high fire rate. It's a beast of a firearm." Sergei continued.

Mads inspected the firearm, checking how fast he could reload and how good the sights were. Sergei had gone to get something else while Mads was checking the gun through. Sergei returned with a holster and placed it on the table.

"Hip holster, I know you can't let the other one go. This should be a nice fit on your left hip." Sergei remarked.

"Thanks." Mads said as he attached the holster to his belt.

"I hope you'll find some good use for it." Sergei replied.

"I hope so. How much do I owe you?" Mads asked.

Sergei forwarded a list of all the things he had provided and what the cost was. Mads looked through it. "You aren't going to charge me for the gun?" Mads asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Think of it as compensation." Sergei said as he took a sip from his drink.

"I see. Thank you." Mads quickly transferred the money to Sergei's secret account. When Sergei verified it had been received, he smiled.

"By the way... Did you have that... _other thing?_ " Mads asked.

Sergei seemed lost in thought for about a minute, but then he snapped his fingers. "Ah yes!" He went over and brought over a folder over. A folder with some actual real paper inside. "Here you are. It took some digging." Sergei remarked.

Mads skimmed through the content of the folder and smirked at what he read. "And I assume this is accurate?" Mads asked as he took his eyes away from the paper.

"Indeed, had my best man on the job." Sergei laughed, almost like the question was absurd.

"You're my favorite customer, you know that? You respect the classics, not like all the youngsters and wannabe gangsters nowadays. Always looking for the newest." Sergei remarked as he leaned back in his chair.

"And you are my favorite suppler. Now, I need to get going." Mads said as he arose from his chair.

"Have fun... And good luck out there." Sergei said as Mads left the room with his new pistol on his hip. Sergei quickly organized for the remained ammunition to be delivered to the ship.

* * *

 **22/8 2185**

Mads, Tali and Garrus stood in the comm room. Looking over whatever Intel the illusive man had seen fit to give them. It was an ancient dead reaper, and of course Cerberus had jumped on the opportunity to study it. The place had been dark for a little while now, so it was not far-fetched to think something went wrong.

Mads looked over the layout of the place. The cigarette still lit in his hand as smoke slowly went up to the celling. Tali was looking at the map as well, while Garrus was busy cleaning his weapon. Mads took a drag from his cigarette as he skimmed the information again.

"What are you thinking?" Tali asked while standing close to Mads.

"I'm thinking this will be messy. I think we should expect more than a simple pick up mission." Mads replied.

"I almost can't remember a single mission we have had yet that was _simple_." Garrus remarked as he continued cleaning.

"True." Mads replied while not taking his eyes off the map.

"Joker?" Mads called out. "How far to the dead Reaper?" Mads asked.

"45 mintues, Captain. Be sure to leave your signature there, you know ' _Romanov was here'_." Joker wittily remarked over the comm.

"Funny." Mads sarcastically replied as he put out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Alright, I'll go suit up. I'll suggest you both do the same." Mads said as he left the room.

Mads quickly suited up into his armor and pulled up his boots. He buckled the belt in place and made sure both the Magnum and Clock was well within reach. He then clipped on the speed loaders and magazines for both handguns. Lastly, he picked up his helmet and went up.

Tali and Garrus stood ready at the shuttle. If Mads knew anything, is was that the illusive man was probably full of shit. This was going to be hairy.

Mads equipped his helmet and nodded for the pilot to bring them in. Guess they were really doing it after all. Whatever problems would be faced on that station/dead reaper were sure to be solved with a bullet... Right?

* * *

These corridors... They seemed haunted. So empty, you could hear a pin drop on the other side of the room. The air, however, was thick with something, though not tension... Well... Maybe tension was there, but there was something else as well.

"Watch your six, don't go running off." Mads ordered as they moved in tight formation forward. His gut was screaming danger at him, and he never been one to turn down what his gut said.

"Copy that." Garrus replied, Tali gave a affirmative sound as well. They came across several terminals with audio logs in them. Slowly, it began to paint a clearer picture. Something real shady went on here. Something they couldn't control.

That was so often the case: something would go down and no one could control it. The main fault of humanity, believing you can control something. Oh boy, it had a way of back firing. The beauty of irony, it was a cruel mistress.

"мать бога" ( **Mother of God)** Mads remarked as the giant dragon teeth stood before them. Poor crew members were impaled by it. They all looked at the scene in horror. While this sight was not new, it was the scale of it, and rather, what the hell had caused it.

There were no Geth in sight, no Saren replacement. It was more like... These people did it to themselves. In some weird sense of worship, almost like a cult. Mads' gut twisted at the thought, his mind racing to find whatever answers were to be found.

Then, Husks were coming for them. The crewmembers long dead, now serving their new master with the upmost loyalty. They still used the same old tactics, running straight forward and hoping not to get shot. Of course, that tactic relied on the enemy being scared and unprepared. Only problem was: Mads, Tali and Garrus certainly was prepared.

And, Mads got to try out his new toy. The Glock was far from bad, in fact, it was a breath of fresh air. He had never shot it before, only the Glock 17. And that was at a shooting range in Texas. God, he still remembered that trip to America, and how great it was. These thoughts however, were not suited for the current situation.

Blasting a couple of husk out of the way, they proceeded to the next room, and were really surprised at what happened. A husk tried to knock down Mads from behind, but a sniper shot rang out. The husk's limp body fell to the ground as they located the source. A Geth rose out was its sitting position.

"Romanov-Captain." It greeted before hurrying off. Mads looked at both Tali and Garrus with a confused look.

"What the fuck was that?" He asked.

"Unless I'm dreaming, that Geth just addressed you. With actual words. And didn't blow your brains out." Garrus remarked.

"But why?" Mads asked again.

"Who knows? Maybe it is trying to lure you into a false sense of safety?" Tali theorized.

"You're right, best not trust it yet. Let's move on. Things are bound to get more interesting with a Geth around." Mads replied.

The hordes of what was once the crew came at them once again, and oh boy, were there a lot of them! Garrus had switched to his assault rifle to keep up with Mads and Tali. Tali was sporting her usual shotgun, blasting them all off the catwalk. Mads used his trusted AK, tearing them to shreds. But, as luck would have it, more and more came.

It was soon clear that is becoming too much, they began overwhelming them. Garrus retreated a bit to make better use of his sniper. Mads had switched to his AA-12 to try and keep them at bay. 5, maybe 6 husks began to circle around Tali. They lunged at Tali. She did manage to kill two of them, but they knocked the shotgun right out of her hand. They pinned her to the ground, screaming their unintelligible nonsense at her, threating to rip out her throat with their teeth.

Mads felt the fury built up in him, the desire to protect grew to an all-time high. His shotgun gave a _click_ as he pulled the trigger. "Shit" he muttered to himself, he did a quick scan around the room. It was clear any firearms would be at danger of harming Tali.

When he spotted it, it seemed so out of place. Nailed to the wall with a color that screamed _Take and use me!_ He ran for the fire axe station at the wall. Mads punched out the glass, not even giving a second thought to the fact why there was a fire axe there in the first place. He had other things to worry about.

The glass shattered and Mads pulled out the axe. The heavy fire axe felt right in his hand. Mads ran towards Tali, midway he began raised the axe that required two hands to operate. The axe cut in to the first husk, the head dangling from the little piece of neck left. The next one, he made an uppercut with the axe. The husk's jaw was cut in half, making him look like the predator. Next husk was left without a head, it bounced on the ground and fell down to the darkness beneath the catwalk.

There was only one left, the one currently on top of Tali, trying to get close enough to bite down on her throat. Tali struggled as much as she could. She felt a ton of fear flow through her. Then, blood began pouring out of the Husk, landing on her visor and closing her vision. She felt the body weight of the husk being removed from her. She wiped off the blood on her visor and saw Mads trying to free his axe from the skull of the Husk. Mads placed his foot on the shoulder, and pushed until it sprang free.

Mads looked away from the Husk to Tali. "Are you alright?" He asked in a concerned voice as he ran over to her.

"I'm fine, thank you." Tali said.

"My pleasure. Let's get moving before more show up." Mads ordered.

Garrus came back and they both ran off to the next room. Once again, they saw the Geth, who seemed to be trying his luck with the controls on a terminal. In front of the Geth was the very thing core of the Reaper. And it seemed unstable, and it seemed to almost have a mind of its own. Which wasn't really surprising. They began walking towards the Geth. Mads wanted to question it, wanted to know why it had spared him.

However, a Husk ruined that chance... For now at least. It seemed to knock the Geth unconscious... or whatever the term was for robot going out cold. The husk turned its attention to them, but meet its maker before it could try anything.

Mads jugged over to the limp Geth body. Studying it. It was clear it was still operational. He stood up again, and turned his attention to the terminal. His hands moved quick, he didn't want to be here any longer than he needed to. The walls almost seemed like they were closing in on him. They had to destroy that core if they wanted to get out of there, but it would also create a giant explosion, so they needed to be quick.

Of course their work wasn't easy. Husks came at them while the reaper core shielded itself from their firepower. But it would open up every now and then, but it was a short window to place some shots.

Finally, it came in. It became even more unstable as it was clear that it would soon explode. "Take the Geth!" Mads ordered to Garrus.

"Mads! What are you doing?" Tali asked. She was furious that he was attempting to bring a Geth with them.

"Tali, I really don't have to argue with now. We need to understand what the hell is going on with that Geth." Mads replied as he helped Garrus lift it up. Tali knew that time wasn't really a luxury they had right now, so she decided to save it for later.

It was a close call as they used the lack of gravity to jump back into the Normandy. It did made transporting the Geth a lot easier, but... He would have to answer to Tali now. Mads ordered the Geth put down by the AI room where Edi's mainframe was located. He would deal with the Geth as soon as he had dealt with his better half. It that was even possible.

Yup, the first argument of a relationship is never going to be an easy one.


	51. Chapter 50: A Geth named Legion

**A/N: Hey C.E.W. I have indeed heard of the Metal Gear games. I haven't had the chance to play any of them though.**

 **22/8 2185**

 **Evening, Captain Quarters, Normandy.**

"What the hell were you thinking?" Tali raged, pacing around like a woman possessed. She was currently trying to figure out what the hell went through Mads' head in his decision making.

"Tali, please-"

"Don't. Don't try and justify your action! You have been selfish. Bringing a Geth aboard this vessel, and for what? They are the enemy of my people! They drove my people from our planet! And you bring it aboard here. Are you trying to prove a point?" Tali was furious as her pace quickened.

"Tali, hear me out-"

"How would you feel if I brought a collector on board? Would you like that? Perhaps you would take it to bed?" Tali ranted on.

"TALI!" Mads finally shouted. She stopped her pacing and looking at him. Her glowing eyes carried a look of confusion.

"I didn't bring it here just to upset you. Look, I get you have history with the Geth, that your entire people have history with them. I too would be mad if you brought a communist onboard." Mads took a pause.

"... But we need to figure what the hell is going on with it. It didn't kill us, in fact, it seemed to be after the same thing we were. If this prove fruitless, I'll be the first to throw it out." Mads explained.

"But until then, I have to take a long at it, perhaps even hear it out. Now, I know you are angry, and you have a right to be. So, let me make it up to you. Dinner, at your chosen location. How does that sound?" Mads suggested.

Tali had calmed down as Mads had explained his motive. "Fine, but one more thing."

"Name it."

"I would like to take a look at the photobook." Tali pointed to the crate stashed with all Mads' old things.

"Really?" Mads asked confused.

"Yes. You have refused me so far." She replied.

"Okay. Deal." Mads said and pulled Tali into a hug. It took a few moments for Tali to relax and hug him back.

"I forgive you." She whispered into his ear.

"Thank you." Mads whispered back.

* * *

Tali sat on the couch with Mads beside her. Her head was resting on his shoulder as she looked down at the photobook. In his lap was the photobook, opened on the first page. The first thing that greeted them was a baby picture. It was rather low quality. A date and some text were underneath it.

 **Mads Romanov. Hospital of St. George, St. Petersburg, Russia. 31/08/92.**

The picture revealed a small baby in what Tali assumed to be his mother's arms. She noted the date. "It's from the day I was born. That's my mother right there. Lovely woman." Mads explained, and that confirmed Tali's suspicion. Tali took a quick look at the calendar that hung on Mads' wall, that revealed the current date. It wasn't long until it was his birthday again.

Mads had explained that he really didn't care about that sort of stuff anymore. That he " _didn't have time for it"_ though Tali had done enough research on humans to know it was something that was celebrated quite often. Quite different from Quarian culture.

They moved on, saw a lot of different picture. A steady series of picture showing him and his siblings at each age. He seemed like a happy boy in all these pictures, young and pure. Untainted as he would say. Early teenage years showed him getting a bit chubby.

"It wasn't until 7th grade I realized how fat I was getting. I decided that it wasn't going to be. It's amazing how willpower can carry you through all problems." Mads remarked as he studied the pictures with her. He hadn't seen them in ages either.

Then came a series of pictures showing him in his mid to late teenage years. Usually with either a beer or a drink in his hand, and a cigarette in the other. A picture of his graduation from Business school. Then a picture of him in a military uniform.

Tali studied them all in great detail. She liked learning more about him. He spoke with great enthusiasm and pride in the old pictures. Mostly the ones about the army. There were quite a lot of him in uniform. Including one where he stood in, what Tali presumed to be, full military gear. It was with him and several others. The names were written underneath them all. One name in particular stood out. Victor Bespalov, and it rang an old bell in the back of her head.

"Is that the man who left the rifle for you?" She asked, and Mads went quiet, before he nodded silently.

"We were best friends. Sometimes he was a pain in the ass, but I wouldn't trade him for anyone else. A bit like Garrus actually." Mads remembered. Tali chuckled a bit at it.

They kept going like that for a little while.

* * *

 **AI room**

 **A few hours later.**

Mads stepped into the lightly dimmed room. On the table was the Geth in question. Currently disabled for their own safety. There was no telling what could happen. A million scenarios had already formed in his mind, and the worst ones had been vocalized by Tali. He would never hear the end of it if he was wrong about it all.

"You better be worth" Mads muttered to himself as studied the Geth. It appeared to be fused with some N7 armor. That will be an interesting discussion.

"Prepare for everything, Edi. I'm waking it up." Mads said.

"Understood Captain. Preparing countermeasures." The AI replied. A digital wall was put up between him and the Geth. The light turned on, and it slowly began to rise up. It studied its new surroundings, then finally settling its glance on Mads.

"What are you?" Mads asked.

"Geth." It simply replied.

"Yeah, I am aware. But so far, all the Geth I had the pleasure of meeting has tried to kill me. Humor me this, why didn't you take the shot?" Mads asked.

"That would be counter-productive to our mission." It answered.

"You said my name onboard the Reaper. How do you know my name?"

"Extranet sources, organic live feed and unreliable sources. We know of you."

"I have fought a great many Geth over the years. How come you are different?"

"You fought the heretics, who consider the old machines to be their masters."

"Heretics? Old machines?"

"Geth build their own future, the heretics asked the old machines for their future. They are no longer Geth."

"I see."

"Romanov-Captain opposes the old machines. Romanov-Captain opposes the heretics. These are mutual goals."

"You want to join the mission?"

"Yes"

Mads thought about its request. There was a small voice in the back of his head telling him what Tali might think of this. Mads didn't really care right now. This was an extra pair of hands, and it might be useful.

"Tell me, what is your name then?" Mads asked.

"Geth." It replied quickly.

"Stop being a cryptic motherfucker and answer my question. Call sign, serial number, anything?"

"There are currently 1183 active programs inside this platform. We are all Geth."

"We are legion, for we are many." Edi jumped in.

"I guess that could work. Legion. Bit weird to drag the bible into this though."

"We accept this as an appropriate metaphor. We will integrate into the Normandy."

"Dear God. This better be fucking worth it."

"Romanov-Captain?" It asked.

"Yes?" Mads asked back.

"We have learned of the Heretics location. And we acquire your help."

"Go on."

"The heretics have a central station, of which they communicate with all units. We wish to neutralize them."

"I see. And you where it is?"

"Yes."

"Okay, inform Joker about the coordination. I have only one question though." Mads said.

He kept silent, probably to tell he was listing.

"What's with the N7 armor?" Mads asked.

"We needed to repair our armor. It was critical."

"And where did you get the material?"

"We were looking for your resting place. We suffered damage, we had to repair."

"... That's my armor, isn't it?"

"No data."

Mads shook his head in disbelief. "Fucking Geth." Mads muttered as he left.

* * *

"Is Tali okay with this?" Garrus asked as they stood in the cockpit. Looking over the Geth Heretic station straight ahead.

"No. I needed to turn the charm up to 11 just to avoid getting blasted by the shotgun." Mads replied while keeping his eyes on the heretic station.

"First relationship fight? Was it tough?" Garrus asked.

"Yes, it was. She was ready to rip my head off. Could we please focus on the matter on hand?"

"There, we are closing in. They shouldn't know we are here, stealth drive is on. Unless of course... They look out the window." Joker jumped in.

"Geth do not use windows. Structural weakness." Legion replied.

Mads chuckled as Joker pulled a robotic impersonation to insult Legion. They closed in further to the hull where Legion had pointed out they could enter. Mads equipped his helmet and made sure everything was in order, this was last minute, but these things had to be in order.

They stepped upon the Geth station. Legion was quick to point out there was little gravity or air, since Geth required neither.

"Okay, let's go." Mads said as he began to go forward.

"Romanov-Captain wait!" Legion called out.

"What is it?" Mads said as he turned around.

"We have found another solution." Legion spat out.

"And what is it?" Mads asked.

"We can re-program the heretics to abandon their worship of the old machines. This is an alternative to destroying." Legion replied.

"Re-programming them? So just indoctrinate them into following your cause?" Mads asked.

"Do not think of this as an ethical issue. Geth are not organic beings, they do not think like organic beings." Legion explained.

"Still, this seems like it is in the gray area. Thoughts Garrus?" Mads asked.

"I'm with you Romanov, no matter what you choose. But I'd say kill them and be done with it. No reason to rewire their circuit board." Garrus replied.

"Didn't think this mission would turn into a moral dilemma. I'll make a decision when we get to it. What is your preferred option Legion?" Mads asked as he turned to Legion.

"Understood. We are at a crossroad, Romanov-Captain. 52% of the programs agree with reprogramming, 48% favors destruction. We will accept your decision in the matter." Legion explained.

"Okay, I need time to run it over. In the meantime, we can move further. Legion, you take point." Mads ordered.

"Acknowledged" Legion said as he equipped his rifle and rushed forward. Mads and Garrus were right on his heels.

It didn't take long for them to come across a room. Legion had been kind enough to explain that alarms were limited to the rooms, not the entire base. Should they trip the alarm, the outcome would be manageable. Hopefully, depends if they could trust this Geth. At this point, it was anyone's guess.

The snuck into the room and saw several Geth operating the terminals within. Some of them were probably doing maintenance as well. Mads gestured for them to move out and take different positions. Hopefully, they would be able to deal with these Geth in one swift blow. A generator, or whatever it was, seemed to be powering the trip sensors in the room. Mads moved over to it, and lined up a shot. Two Geth two beside it.

Mads had to hope his theory was correct. That the blast would knock out the two Geth standing beside the power outlet. But that theory relied on it actually exploding upon impact. With his fingers crossed, he fired a single shot from the AK into the power outlet. It did as it was supposed to. Exploding and disabling the trip sensors.

Legion and Garrus did their job, and they did it well. In one swift blow, the entire room was cleared. Only God knew how many rooms like this was left, and if the other rooms would turn out in their favor as well. Still, the big man could spare some of that luck... Right? It was by his will Mads was out here to begin with.

It was probably best not to hope for divine intervention at this point. This was a job best done by them solo. A lot of variables here, so many things could go wrong. And so many new discovers. Like Legion showing them the data banks for the Geth programs. All of them stored neatly, like newborn babies at a hospital.

 _Fuck, don't think like that._ Mads thought to himself. _Just makes them seem more human. None of these choices seem ethical now..._ It was true. This decision was a rather hard one to make. But that was because these weird thoughts seemed to be invading his brain. Screaming to think about the Geth as living beings.

Didn't matter. There was still time to think about... Until there isn't. Perhaps a rush decision would be better. He could think about it until the world ended. But he really wasn't interested in that right now.

Moving forward, they got their fair share of Geth. Each room was sort of the same, expect a slightly different layout. Mads was grateful that both Garrus and Legion seemed to know what they were doing. Well, he knew Garrus, but not Legion. Maybe Legion would be a good addition to the crew after all.

They moved through many different hallways to get to the central hub for it all. It looked like some sick tower defense mobile game from his time. Mads was quick to set up the turrets in a way that suited him the best.

"Has Romanov-Captain come to a conclusion yet?" Legion asked. Fingers ready at the control to fulfill his wish. Legion seemed to be putting quite a bit of stock into Mads as well. Feelings seemed to be mutual.

Mads looked over at Garrus, who seemed to be at a loss as well. Expecting Mads to pick up the torch. That whole feeling of being the leader was not always the easiest to deal with. His gut feelings were even divided.

"... Kill them. If they can be reprogrammed to abandon their beliefs, they can just as easily come back." Mads finally said.

"Understood Romanov-Captain." Legion affirmed and began work. "Prepare for the Heretics attack. They will investigate the breach in security."

"Garrus, take vantage point. I'll deal with these fuckers myself." Mads ordered as he equipped his shotgun.

"Got it." Garrus replied as he hurried off to get a good point.

They came in waves. It helped that they had turrets sent up, and Garrus could deliver a lot more damage from his sniping position. Maybe he even saved Mads' ass a couple of times, but Mads would never let Garrus know that. He would never shut his mouth about it.

Legion gave them updates about how far he was at regular intervals. It was nice to know they didn't have to keep this shit up forever, but as it got closer and closer to 100%, the Geth, or Heretics, stepped up their games. Throwing more numbers at the job was always a sound strategy, but only as long as their enemies actually lost people along the way.

"Romanov-Captain. The upload is done. The ship is now set to self-destruct." Legion remarked.

"Wait WHAT?" Mads yelled out.

"Yes, it is the only way to fully complete it all." Legion replied.

"I thought you just fried them all. Oh shit!" Mads began to gather up his things and make a run for it. Legion and Garrus were right behind him. And of course, the remaining Geth didn't make the escape easy for them. They tried their hardest to stop Mads, Legion and Garrus as they made a run for it. If they didn't make it out, Mads would go to whatever Robot heaven there is, and kick the shit out of Legion until the end of time.

As fate would have it, they made it. Though Mads feared he would get a verbal beating from Tali after risking his life for the wish of a Geth they barely knew. Ah, you can't always win, at least not in every regard.

* * *

Mads was not actually all that surprised to find Tali holding Legion at gunpoint. In fact, he made out a rather audible sigh at the scene in front of him. "What's the issue?" Mads asked, a bit tried after dealing with all the events of the day.

"This Geth tried to steal data from my Omni-tool! Data about the fleet! Data that could put the fleet in danger!" Tali proclaimed. Mads gave light to his cigarette.

"The Creators were performing weapons tests, and were discussing plans to attack the Geth. We believed it was a reasonable course to alert our people." Legion defended himself.

"Mads! I trust you with all my heart. I have tolerated this Geth to be here, but this is too much!" Tali said.

"Okay, stop it, both of you." Mads said, and they both looked over at him. "Tali, I understand where you are coming from, but we both know what your father did. If those subjects had been humans, I wouldn't waste a second to alert the alliance."

"I know, but if the Geth find out-" Tali began.

"They will attack, I know. Legion, look at this logically. I know you are trying to defend your people, but this bullshit will spill over and hit us all if this gets to the Geth HQ. I need both the Quarians and the Geth ready to fight the reapers." Mads explained.

"We... Understand. To show good faith, we will not transmit the data." Legion backef down. Tali slowed lowered her gun as well.

"Thank you... Legion... In return, I can offer some non-classified data for you to send." Tali offered.

"We would be very grateful to receive this." Legion replied. Mads even thought for a second that they were going to shake hands, but there was still bad blood between these two. Which was understandable.

"Okay, now that this is sorted, we can carry on." Mads remarked. "And I trust this will be the last time I hear of this?" Mads asked.

They both nodded in agreement. Mads was rather grateful for the outcome, it could have certainly gone a lot worse. Who knows? One day, they might even go beyond the point of just 'Tolerating each other'. But that remains to be seen.


	52. Chapter 51: AI

__**2 4/8 2185**__

 **Normandy, above the planet Aite**

They received a call from a Cerberus facility couple of days ago. On the distress call, everything sounded off, and that shit was really hitting the fan. Mads hadn't gotten the entire message, but he knew it was important.

Edi had explained that the reaper IFF was close to being finished, and that the only thing missing was a few issues that needed to be sorted. Mads figured they could finish that while he took a look at the situation at hand. He took his entire team with him on this mission, for no other reason than a small part of his brain commanded him to do so.

They arrived at the main facility, and found the typical failed Cerberus setup. The white building showing sign of battle, Geth was the enemy, or at least so he was told. There seemed to be something larger at play, and of course his gut was trying to push some sort of message. The grim nature that was science seemed to be Cerberus main goal, and just how often did it backfire? Way too often for Mads' liking. This organization had a history of trying to play God, or attempt to challenge nature itself.

Dr. Archer was the one to make contact, and he sounded very desperate for help. He gave a quick rundown of the situation. A rouge AI was haunting the place, killing people left, right and center. They were given instructions quickly. Take out the satellite disk, before the AI could upload itself to the wider extranet and become... Unstoppable.

A race against time, it was called. Dr. Archer stressed that the satellite disk was to be shut down as soon as possible. Mads broke his team into two squads. This was the most practice they were going to get before the big mission, which was also due at any moment now.

The AI attempted to say something several times, though it came out as gibberish, at least to them. No doubt the Geth understood, and it was most likely orders, or warnings. Bodies filled the corridors, blood decorated the walls. Severed limps, with no clue as to where the rest of the body was, was a common find.

Of course, Geth was everywhere. They fared well against them, but, to be fair, Geth was at this point the most common enemy they had faced. It was refreshing to see the team work fairly well together. Of course, they would playfully throw remark to each other under the mission. But that was to be expected from them. Mads actually had a sense this would all work out, especially since the Normandy had been upgraded to the max.

"Alright fellas, I'm setting this thing to blow. Get ready!" Mads yelled to the others as he went through the last commands on the terminal. The terminal began its countdown and Mads realized the needed to get the hell away.

"RUN!" Mads ordered as stepped away from the console. They all knew what he meant. They ran for dear life as it counted closer and closer to zero. It was a leap of faith that saved them from both the explosion and the collapse of the satellite disk. The AI once again said something, it sounded very angry. Certainly with more emotion than Mads thought an AI could give out, even when unrestricted.

"Jesus Christ, that was close." Mads said as he got back on his feet. They had landed on a catwalk on a building just beside the satellite disk. Mads dusted himself off as the others arose as well. Once they had caught their breath after having it knocked out of their lungs, they agreed it was time to find this 'Dr. Archer' and get a full read on what was going on here. Mads could sense that something was wrong about his AI.

* * *

"It seems mankind's reach exceed it's grasp." Dr. Archer remarked as he looked out the window to see Mads' teammates hard at work putting the bodies in body bags.

"Just…. Tell me what the hell happened." Mads demanded as he rubbed his temples. He was sick of being here, something felt so wrong.

"We observed what happened between Saren and the Geth two years ago. We learned that they were following him because of his status as a prophet and their programming. We wondered if we could do the same, convert the Geth to follow a super AI we created." Dr. Archer explained as he paced around.

"Go on." Mads said.

"My brother, David, volunteered for the program. He is….. Well, he is autistic. We learned he had a unique ability to reverse engineer the Geth language per say, everything looked promising." Dr. Archer went on.

"Jesus fucking Christ. Your brother is the AI?" Mads asked in disbelief.

"Yes, he is. Unfortunately, it became too much, even for David. The Illusive man pushed us for results, and in the rush, we abandoned safety regulations. It has clearly gotten out of hand." Dr. Archer replied.

"Out of hand? Is that the term you use? God damn, you are cold." Mads said. "So, what do I need to do before this shit REALLY gets out of hand?" Mads asked.

"You'll need the access of the three main board members. However, I am the only one left." Dr. Archer said as he went over to turn in his access to shut down the project. "The two others, you'll need to manually reset at each location."

"Okay. I'll split my team in two." Mads planned his approach in his head.

"Captain Romanov. Please, spare my brother if you can." Dr. Archer pleaded.

"We'll see." Mads said as a final note before calling out his team mates.

* * *

Sending out two strike teams might have been one of Mads' better ideas. I saved time and certainly put off some stress from his shoulder. He figured that this would be a good way to tackle the collector base once that time came.

They were killing Geth left, right and center as they got an update from the other team. They had reset the access and were awaiting further instructions. Mads, Tali and Garrus were in the front of their strike team, but had yet to reset the second access point. Dr. Archer kept pushing them to hurry on. David was still at large, and could still upload himself into something else, maybe even the Normandy.

Geth weren't the only tool at David's hands. He had security mechs as well. Those sorry excuses for enemies which dismembered so easily, it was almost laughable. Especially when one of the mechs attempted to shoot out the lever needed to reset authorization. Its head flew off as Mads fired his Glock at it. It stumbled around before the green outline disappeared and it collapsed on the floor.

Mads then pulled up the lever and overrode the lockdown of atlas station. David's gibberish once again came through the consoles, as well as Dr. Archer's voice. Mads told him they would move on to atlas now. Hopefully without too much trouble.

Much like anywhere else, that place was a graveyard for all the personal that once worked there. David had been sure to kill them all. Question was, could David be saved? Hopefully, he seemed more like a victim with each passing minute. Mads had sent the other team to clean up in the meantime. Mads, Garrus and Tali were more than able to handle this on their own.

Or so he thought at least. David messed with them every part of the way, making it hard to get anywhere. They lost time as well. It did give Mads time to hear all the logs made by Dr. Archer, and the plot seemed thicken with each one. He seemed like he cared about his brother, but at some level this work was needed.

They came to the VI server console that should give them more access. "Keep on your toes; this shit can go south real quick." Mads ordered as he began to take a closer look. Tali and Garrus both nodded and awaited what would happen next.

With a single push of a button, Mads felt the surge of energy flow through him at an alarming rate. David must have hacked into his omni-tool, or maybe even his combat armor. It was hard to tell. But one thing was clear: He had less control over his own moments. Mads felt his own legs carry him to the door, all while he attempted to resist every part of the way. Tali and Garrus were both baffled by what they saw, and tried their best to stop Mads from going on.

Only it was too late. As soon as Mads passed through the door, it closed behind him. He was sealed off from his team. _Just great_ Mads thought. He gained some moment back, but he knew time was scares at this moment. He moved forward, this time however, David seemed to show him a path.

In fact, David showed more than just a path, he showed what truly happened. Not the words of Dr. Archer, but what David himself remembered. And it almost broke Mads' heart to see it. Used at every point, David was truly a gifted man in his intelligence, but lacking in so many other areas. Maybe this project could have succeed if the right amount of money and time was used on it. But no, man's greed will always be its own undoing.

With the threat of shutting down, Dr. Archer had pushed things along. David hadn't volunteered for the program; he had been selected for it. Even his mind couldn't handle what came next. Mads knew that this wasn't David's fault, but if killing Daivd would put a stop to all of this, he would do it. The harsh reality of this world.

Finally, Mads was let to the chamber after fighting some Geth along the way. David was captured inside a huge sphere. Mads looked in awe at it. He only snapped back into reality when the VI voice told him, that David was trying to upload himself onto the Normandy.

"DAVID! STOP!" Mads yelled as he ran closer, but quickly realized David wasn't going to stop. He had to shut him down. _Shit_ Mads thought as he began to disrupt the connection and attempt to shut it down. It didn't help that virtual Geth were on his ass at the same time. He could really use the help of Tali and Garrus right about then.

"David! Don't do it!" Mads kept trying to get through to David, but was only met with "PLEASE MAKE IT STOP"

And Mads tried to do just that. He kept breaking through to the connection and stopping it, before it tried to reconnection. It was only when the shield shattered under the pressure of his bullets, that Mads could breathe easily again.

But one look at David made Mads horrified at what he saw. David was bearly human at this point, he had been through so much. Mads was tempted to put David out of his suffering, but onyl lowered his gun when he heard Dr. Archer come yelled. Garrus and Tali were beside him, but judging but the grasps from them, they were equally horrified at what they saw.

"Don't kill him!" Dr. Archer begged.

"Fucking look at him!" Mads yelled back. "He is nothing but flesh and tubes at this point!" Mads said.

"I know. I wish it hadn't come to this. Please."

"Please? This shit is wrong on every level! David is never going to be the same! And you did this!" Mads yelled as he pointed to poor David, hanging in all the tubes.

"I'm afraid it was for the advancement of mankind. It could have stopped a war." David replied in his defense.

"Yeah? But it fucking didn't. Instead we have a base full of corpses and a shell of a man behind it!"

"Please, I know. I take-... I take full reasonability for it. I did this to my brother. Please, let me take care of him." Dr. Archer still attempted to further his own goals.

"No, you abandoned your brother when he needed you the most. We're taking him with us." Mads said.

"But Captain-" Dr. Archer didn't even have a chance to finish his request before being pushed back by Mads.

"Stop!" Mads ordered, and it finally dawned on Dr. Archer what he really had done. "Where-" He had to stop his tears from forming in his eyes. "Where are you taking him?" Dr. Archer finally asked.

"A long way from here. With the alliance." Mads replied. Dr. Archer went quiet.

"Joker, we need transport for a David Archer. Please confirm." Mads said into his ear piece. But was not met with Joker, but rather Edi.

"Captain Romanov. There has been an incident on the Normandy. It is vital you return as soon as possible." Edi said.

"Incident? What incident?" Mads asked.

"We will explain once you are onboard."

"Tali, Garrus, please bring down David without harming him. We are taking him with us. Something has gone down on the Normandy." Mads ordered.

"What happened?" Tali asked.

"I don't know. But let's wrap up here and get back as soon as possible." Mads replied.

* * *

"This is unacceptable! You not only stood by the sideline and watched your co-workers get dragged off by collectors, but you unshackled edi as well!" Miranda was furious as she took out her rant on Joker.

"What was I supposed to do? I'm hardly in the condition to put up much of a fight against the collectors. The most I could do is break my bones!" Joker replied.

"Enough! The both of you." Mads said. "Joker, you survived. I know this must be tough for you. There was nothing you could do. I am however, worried about Edi being without restrains at this point." Mads remarked.

"I would never do anything to harm my fellow crew mates." Edi said.

"Where have the taken my crew?" Mads asked.

"Biggest possibility would be back to the collector base. We have everything we need to complete the mission however." Edi replied.

"When will the alliance pick up David?" Mads asked.

"In a few hours." Miranda replied.

"Okay, here is what we do. Once David is in safe hands, we will take on these collector fucks and get the crew back! I want everyone to prepare what is needed. Is that understood?" Mads asked.

They all nodded in agreement. "Then let's do this shit:" Mads said as he left the meeting room.


	53. Chapter 52: Death wish

**A/N: Hello guys!**

 **Tis' be I, KanisRussell, bring you a small update.**

 **So, we are nearing the end of ME2, so we are about half way with the story ;) This should be interesting. We still have to do Arrival though.**

 **For promotion, I'd like to say I have created a Mad Max/ Fallout story, and if that sounds cool, please check it out. Thanks guys!**

 **Kind regards**

 **KanisRussell.**

* * *

 **25/8 2185**

 **Normandy, approaching the Omega 4 relay.**

Mads was looking over the map. He was studying the relay. They were getting closer, and the collectors had made it even more personal. He didn't think it was possible, but he was really angry at them. The nerve, to simply steal his crew, from under his nose no less? They would feel his wrath. They would feel pain after pain after pain. His left hand tightened around the rosary. He remembered that this mission was holy, and he needed to keep a clear mind.

"6 hours to the relay, Captain. You might want to get the last details in order." Joker remarked over the comm.

"Alright Joker. Enter the relay when you can, and keep your senses sharp. We're locked now, and we need to be ready." Mads replied.

"Understood Captain." Joker said.

"I'll be in my quarters if you need me. Praying and preparing." Mads said as he went over to the elevator.

"Aye aye Captain."

With that, Mads took the elevator up. He stepped off and stepped into his room. He looked around, and was pleasantly surprised at how clean it was. Tali insisted that it should be that way. She wasn't there at the moment. Most likely getting the last details in order down in engineering. Everything was in order for Mads: his weapons were cleaned, his armor had been checked several times for faults, and he was mostly prepared mentally for what was ahead.

He wondered if the others truly were. He had spent a long time getting their loyalty, helping out where help was needed. But, this mission was 'do or die'. To lay down your life faithfully for the mission was not an easy task to complete, to sacrifice your own life. These operatives were certainly skillful, no doubt about it. Loyal as well.

But it was far too late to have these concerns now. The Normandy had been upgraded as much as it could. It would be able to withstand a beating, and surely be able to deal a good one as well. A true masterpiece, and a milestone in shipbuilding. If they just did their job, and stuck to the plan, they should be all set.

That didn't stop Mads from pouring himself a glass of Vodka. He needed a little to calm the nerves. He might have died before, but that didn't mean we would be used to the concept, or would accept it too easily. If it was needed, then maybe. Still, it was hard to know how the big man had planned it all out. No doubt there were many details he hid from Mads.

Should they make it out, what would happen next? Mads knew it. He would cut ties, and he would do what is necessary to buy sand for the time glass. The alliance would need it. He would probably be branded as some sort of terrorist, his usefulness would die out when he had given them what they wanted. The cold reality of the world.

He drowned down the vodka and put the glass on the table. He took a deep breath as he fished out his cigarette pack from his back pocket and placed one between his lips. The flame of the Zippo lighter gave fire to the cigarette and gave a rush of nicotine to his system. Mads sat down in his office chair and took another drag of the cigarette.

He poured another glass of Vodka, and leaned back into the leather chair. He began to hum a bit for himself. The words slowly left his mouth as he felt both the vodka and cigarette taking effect, though it wasn't much.

"Amazing grace.

How sweet the sound." He softly sang.

"I once was lost, but now I'm found.

Was blind, but now, I see." He found himself relaxing with each word. No doubt a better connection with the big man, who seemed to have such grand plans for him. Mads wondered how the others would think of him if he ever told him of that meeting. They most certainly wouldn't believe him, and they would think he had finally lost it.

So, he kept it to himself. No shame in that. Pride was a sin, wasn't it? He had marked Elias with it. Maybe he should mark himself as well. No being is perfect. That is an equalizer, if there ever was one.

His soft humming was interrupted by the sound of his door opening. He thought it might be a crew member coming up for advice, or something else. But it wasn't. It was her, Tali. Standing before him. She didn't say anything, and she didn't need to. She looked nervous and tense. She could be hard to read at times, because of the visor, but her body language always said what was on her mind.

Mads smiled, and hoped it would ease her mind a bit. "How are you Tali?" He asked. Some tension left her body, and she looked him in the eye. Mads had a faint idea that her nervous nature wasn't because of the mission ahead, well, maybe a bit of it was. But there was something else happening in those eyes.

"I have been thinking….." She started, taking a step forward and taking his empty glass out of his hand and placing it on the desk. "Actually, I have been thinking about a lot of things." She went on.

She gently placed her hand on his chest and moved closer to him, Mads certainly had an idea what this was now. "There are traditions in place for Quarians regarding….. This." She said.

"But…. With what is coming up, I feel like I can ignore traditions for now. I-….. I have never done this before." She admitted.

"It's okay. I love you Tali." Mads whispered as he pulled her close.

"I want you, Mads. I want us to be together. There is no telling if we come back, but before we leave, I want this." She finally admitted.

"I want you just as much. But we are only doing this if you are sure." Mads replied.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life." She said, and took his hand. She guided him to the bed, and made them both sit down. Mads' hand trailed up her arm, and she relaxed into his touch.

"I just get nervous and I ramble on…." She stopped mid-sentence as Mads' hand landed on his visor, and the sound of a hiss was heard as Mads removed it. Tali stopped and almost looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Mads saw her face, for the first time. And he couldn't lie, she was beautiful, in every regard. Her glowing eyes looking for approval in his blue eyes. Her purple skin looked perfect, small markings complimented her face in beautiful way.

Mads' lips formed into a smile, and it was all Tali seemed to need. She jumped on him, straddling him and all by assaulted his smirk with a hungry kiss. It was clear Tali had no experience in this field, but her enthusiasm made up for it, big time. The kiss went on for some time, but it still felt too short when Tali broke it for air.

"I swear Tali, you are fucking beautiful." Mads remarked. Tali blushed.

"You really think so?" She asked hopefully.

"Tali, have you ever known me to lie?" Mads asked back.

"Well, there was the whole thing about your past, and-" Mads stopped her mid-sentence and pulled her back into a kiss. She eagerly accepted it. It went on for several minutes, but Mads wasn't counting, and he was pretty sure Tali wasn't either. She didn't break away from the kiss as he began top strip Mads of his shirt, and began to help her with the suit. Though he wasn't rushing like she was with his clothes.

With each piece that came off, Mads realized how much of a shame it was to store away that body in a suit. Her skin was untainted, still…. Innocent, if that even was a thing. Just the right shape of purple and by god was it sexy. This experience was mirrored by how intoxicating she was.

This was all new to Tali. The skin on skin contact was something else entirely for her. To her, this was something she had only dreamed about, and now that she has been presented to the real deal, she can't help but moan at the feeling.

It was a new experience for both of them. The first time for Tali, and Mads' first time with a Quarian. But that wasn't all. There was something else in the mix, something Mads couldn't put his finger on. Tali had spoken of a bond, something unique to Quarians. Mads didn't understand it, but this felt different than any other time he has been with women.

* * *

Mads didn't count how long they were at it, but he knew it was worth it for him. Tali mentioned she took antibiotics and "herbal supplements". She wouldn't die, which was a huge relief. He would even go so far as to say Tali might think it was worthwhile as well, at least if the moans were anything to judge by. She would probably have a fever when they came back.

Mads sat on the edge of the bed. He wanted nothing more than to spend more time with Tali, here and now, but that wasn't in the cards at the moment. They had a job to do. An important one as well. Tali was busy putted her suit back on, while searched for the pieces that were scattered around the cabin. Mads was putting on his boots, but had yet to put on a shirt.

"That's probably the first time in over 10 years I have gone for several hours without a cigarette, unless I am sleeping of course." Mads said as he took a cigarette from his neglected pack and turned on his zippo.

"I suppose that's a compliment?" Tali asked with a smile as she sealed part of her suit up.

"You bet that sweet little ass of yours it was." Mads replied as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"Such a foul mouth. My father would have hated you." Tali remarked with a smile as she took a seat besides him on the bed.

Mads laughed as he took another drag of the cigarette. "I guess that's understandable. You have a bad taste in men." Mads replied with a chuckle.

Tali rested her head on Mads' shoulder. "I don't think so." She whispered in his ear.

"I doubt my father would have liked you either." Mads said.

"How come?" She asked as she looked up at him.

"He was a bit of a racist. It would have had nothing to do with your personality. But I doubt he would have approved of an alien lover." Mads recounted as he began to stroke her back.

"Good thing neither of us listened to our parents" Tali replied, pulled into Mads' touch.

"Yeah." Mads agreed. He took a look at his watch. It saddened him to think they couldn't stay like that forever. He arose and felt Tali whimper at the loss of contact. Mads snapped his belt into place.

"What happens next?" Tali asked while she looked at Mads, while he was changing into a shirt.

"We go kill some collectors and make sure they don't come back." Mads said as he fitted his magnum into the holster.

"No, I mean after we finish killing the collectors." Tali clarified.

"If we succeed." Mads corrected her.

"I thought you were pretty sure about this." Tali asked confused.

"That's just to keep morale high. I have no idea if this shit will backfire. But I will say this: With the current expertise and upgrades to the Normandy, we do have a solid chance of pulling this off." Mads explained as he took his glass and filled it with Vodka.

"Then what happens if we do succeed and come back?" She pressed.

Mads looked at her, he was deep in thought about the question. "I'll probably fall out of favor with Cerberus, and I think the Alliance would like to have a word with me, probably lock me up. But killing the collectors is only a part of the problem. The reapers are still out there, and they will come, it's only a matter of time." Mads said as he drowned his drink.

"I know..." She replied with a rather sad tone. "I wish we could have met under different circumstances." She added.

"Me too. But let's make the most of this." Mads suggested.

"Of course." She agreed and put on her visor. It wouldn't be long before they hit the Omega 4 relay, and no doubt it would be rough. This would be a great challenge for all of them, but if they worked together, and did it well, then they might just pull it off.

* * *

Joker was a damn fine pilot. No other words would be able to describe him. He took care of business. He kept them alive, and even took out the collector cruiser that had been harassing them for some time. Now, they were resting on the shell of the hornet's nest. The Normandy had suffered a little bit of damage, but it could be repaired fairly quickly. Edi was already on the job.

For the specialists, their job was about to begin. They stood gathered in the comm room, where all the previous mission briefings had been held. This was it, the air was tense and thick with doubt. For many, this was a suicide mission. Mads had made his peace, he hoped the others had done the same.

"This is it guys. We are finally here, after such a lengthy battle, we must fight again. Humans have been killed, humans have been abducted, and humans have suffered. But this goes beyond humanity's interest; this is a galaxy wide problem. We are here to solve it-" Mads knocked his hand down on the table to empathize the point. "-We will not let anymore suffer under the hands of the collectors and their reaper masters. This end here, _today_! This will be tough, but if we do this, and do it right, we might make it out live." Mads preached, the other began clapping at the end.

They began to study the layout, and how this should be done. There would be a lot of fighting, and they wouldn't be able to stick together for most of it. Someone had to lead another team, and someone had to crawl through a vent to unlock the doors for them. There were discussion about how was more fit for the job, and what was needed.

"Miranda, you take lead with the second firing team." Mads ordered.

"Understood Captain." She replied with a smirk, no doubt glad she was chosen.

"Legion, you'll be crawling through the vent. There shouldn't be any hostiles in there, but you need to move fast none-the-less. Me, Tali and Garrus will open the way for you. Understood?"

"Yes, Romanov-Captain." Legion answered and stood a little bit more straight.

"Okay, the rest is with Miranda and her firing team. Take care and thread lightly folks, this will be hard." Mads said as he equipped his helmet. The others followed suit, and began to make their way towards the exit.

Mads stopped by Joker before he left the vessel. "You going to be okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, We'll get this tin can flying again. You guys just... Go shoot the bad guys." Joker replied. Mads nodded at the request and padded him on the shoulder.

"Take care, we'll be back once it's done." Mads said as a final note as he went out the hatch to the outside. Tali and Garrus were by his side, as usual. This would be hard, but he knew Tali and Garrus were capable of handling this. Miranda was a capable leader as well. No doubt she would see the other team through.

"See you guys on the other side!" Mads said over the comms to the other, who waved back as the found their entrance.

* * *

Mads fired off a few rounds into a collectors chest, before turning his attention on a console. Legion was currently blocked from proceeding further. It was his, Tali's and Garrus' job to ensure he got there. If he didn't... Well, they might as well put a bullet in themselves. Legion was the key to succeeding here.

Mads typed in the commands needed to open the next valve and allow Legion to proceed. Garrus and Tali held off the collectors as he did so. "Almost there, Legion!" Mads called out as he typed in the final commands.

The door opened for Legion and he was off, Mads quickly fired off a few rounds into the next collector bastard that came flying in. "Move!" Mads yelled to the other as they began moving forward. Speed was another key to success here, and they couldn't afford to slow down.

They finally came to the last valve before Legion had to open the big doors from within. It was the same procedure as last time, a few simple commands would ensure Leigon wouldn't die in there, and get forward. Mads could hear Tali and Garrus were hard at work behind him, firing off until their rifle would need a new thermal clip. There were certainly enough collectors here, and they were throwing all their numbers at them.

The last valve opened and Legion disappeared from their view. Now, they had to survive until the Geth could open the door and let them inside. The other team were let in first, as Mads, Tali and Garrus tired their hardest to keep the collector bastards at bay.

"Legion! Hurry the fuck up!" Mads ordered into his earpiece. Legion was indeed hard at work behind the big doors. He had already let in the other team, none of which had died. Finally, Legion got the door opened.

Mads was the last in, before Legion got the door shut again. They quickly scanned each other for injuries, making sure that the adrenaline wasn't covering up any pain. Mads chuckled after gaining his breath back.

"Nice work fellas, we survived the first part, and arguably the easiest." Mads laughed as he straighten up again. No one else laughed, Mads looked up confused at them.

"You might want to see this Romanov." Miranda said, and look up he did.

He did not like what he saw. Pods, like those he found on the collector cruiser, decorated the walls. Only this time, they weren't empty, and the people within were all too familiar. The Cerberus crew, or rather, his crew was trapped within them.

"Fucking get them out!" Mads ordered as he saw something was beginning to happen. One of the colonists began to... almost melt. Like she was being turning to a fucking liquid. They struggled to open the first one, and it was already too late for that colonist. They were however more successful with the other pods, Mads began to recognize some of the crew they saved. Kelly and Chakwas to name a few.

Mads quickly grabbed Chakwas as she was about to faint out on the floor. No doubt that it had been a horrible experience for all of them. Some of them tried to stand up, but it was understandable that they found difficult. "Dr. Chakwas! Are you okay?" Mads asked as he helped her cling on to conscious.

"Romanov... You came for us." She spoke softly, probably having trouble understanding what had happened.

"Of course I did. I wouldn't be a good captain otherwise." Mads replied as he helped her stand on her feet again.

Kelly expressed concern about what might have happened, had they not arrived at the time they did. Chakwas gave her own theory on the matter. It was scary stuff, not a fate he would have wished upon anyone, well... Maybe expect his enemies, but that was beside the point. Whatever matter was made from the colonists, were pumped through tubes. For what purpose, they did not know, but it was their job to find out, and stop it.

Joker gave the location of where the tubes went. They all headed into the control room. Mads could only imagine whatever horrors might be waiting for them up there. They way up there was dangerous as well. Overrun with seeker swarms.

"Can we use biotics? Maybe create a protection field around us?" Mads suggested.

"Yes, I do believe that could work. We can however only bring a small team through if we did." Samara replied.

"Most biotics would be able to do it. Who do you want to handle it?" Miranda asked.

"Samara, you're up. I'll take a small team with me, the rest of you will create a decoy, keep the main force off our back." Mads ordered.

"And who should lead the team?" Miranda asked.

"Garrus, you have good experience in this regard. Keep my people safe." Mads said.

"Will do Romanov." Garrus replied as he readied his rifle.

"What about us? We are in no shape to fight." Chakwas asked with concern. It was true, not only were they in no shape to fight, they couldn't be protected if they brought them along. Joker informed Mads that they had enough resources online to do a pickup.

"Mordin, you escort Chakwas and the rest of the crew back. Take it slow and try not to take too many risks." Mads ordered.

"Of course, I will do my up most." Mordin replied.

"Tali, Legion. You are with me and Samara. Let's get moving. Everyone knows what they have to do, now let's make it work." Mads ordered.

"Aye aye!" They all replied.

* * *

It was true; this place was really filled with seeker swarms. Not only that, but a few collectors were still around. Mads was grateful that Garrus and the rest of the team could take some pressure of their back here. They met the big force head on, but they were handling it fine. Garrus had remarkable potential as a leader, Mads could see that. When this all blew over, Mads could imagine him having control of his own ship.

"Alright, move out!" Mads ordered to Samara. They were about half way there, but keeping the biotic field up was putting quite a strain on Samara. No doubt it was tough on her. At least Mads, Tali and Legion were able to take care of any threats.

Mads quickly changed his magazine in his rifle as a new set of collectors flew in. They moved a bit further before taking cover. "You holding up?" Mads asked.

"Just barely." Samara replied, her voice beginning to sound weak.

"We'll get there soon, no worries." Mads reassured her as he killed another collector.

It was hard for them all, but they needed to stay focused on the matter at hand. Mads kept firing rounds, most of them hit their target as they moved forward. There was interference between Mads and Garrus, so Mads didn't know the full extent on their situation, but it sounded like they were progressed as well.

"Almost there!" Mads yelled as he saw the door in question. Samara was probably close to collapsing from doing the biotic field on her own for so long. The collectors did a final desperate attack to stop them, for them, it too was now or never. Tali killed off most of them that got close with her shotgun, and Mads made sure a lot of them never got close enough for that.

Samara did a final trick as they reached the door. With her remaining strength, she used her biotic powers to clear the pursuing collectors and give the team some much needed breathing space. Mads quickly ran over to the other door when he heard the banging and calls from his ear piece.

Tali helped me open the door. It was true, Garrus and the team had taken on the most collectors, but like the skilled operators they were, they had survived. Although, Mads got really worried when he saw Garrus. It looked like he was injured.

"Garrus! Are you okay?" Mads asked as he ran over to him, to check for any injuries or something like that.

"Nah, I'm good." Garrus said as he straighten himself up. Mads patted him on the back. "We're almost done." Mads replied, and Garrus smiled briefly.

The door was sealed, and marked the end of that chapter. No doubt the next one would be really tough to carry out. They needed to use the platform to get close, but once again, Mads couldn't bring his entire team with him.

"Garrus, Tali, are you up for this?" He asked. They both nodded, and took Mads' hand as he helped them up to the platform.

"Fellas... This has been hard on everyone. We will all remember this day in different ways. We are here to do a job. The reapers are a threat to everything, and I do mean everything. If we lose here, it will most certainly mean the end of all that you love, all that you have fought for. We will succeed, or die trying. Go, walk the last mile and make us all proud." Mads preached. Most of them cheered.

"Let's move out. We have to finish this." Mads said, Tali and Garrus readied their weapons in the fight that would come just up ahead. Mads typed in a few commands on the console and off they went. Of course, it wouldn't be easy, the collectors saw to that. Whatever they had left, where dispatched after them.

"It's do or fucking die." Mads said to Tali and Garrus. They both looked at Mads with an understanding look, this was truly it. They were going to the center, and there was a high chance it would hard... No, scratch that, really hard.

* * *

Mads fired his AK until he was greeted with a click. But the last bullet didn't take down the new bunch of collectors flying in. Mads' hand moved in to grab a new magazine, but quickly noticed that the one sitting in his AK was indeed his last.

 _Fuck_ Mads thought. He quickly threw the rifle on his back and pulled out the Glock from his left holster. The shots went quick, even with it being semi-automatic. It's 10mm ammunition shredding its way through the flesh of the collectors.

"Okay, we'll take this platform there!" Mads called out as he hopped to the next platform. Tali and Garrus followed suit. With the final husk dead, Mads typed in the last commands on the console. They flied off, getting closer to whatever massive structure was sucking all the matter through the tubes.

Edi called through their ear pieces. "The tubes all lead straight ahead. If my calculations are correct, this super structure is a... Reaper." Edi explained. The structure in question came into view as the final words reached them.

"Jesus H. Christ." Mads muttered as he looked up at the thing. "It's a fucking human reaper." Mads added.

"Quite so. It does not appear to be finished yet. While thousands of humans have already been processed, at least a few millions more are required." Edi replied.

"Not sure if that's a relief. Poor souls." Mads remarked as he studied the reaper.

"Are you okay?" Tali asked as she placed her hand on Mads' shoulder.

"No, I'm not. But hopefully I will be once this thing is gone." Mads replied as he gestured to the reaper, hanging on life support. Being fed human genetic matter through tubes.

"Edi, can we bring it down?" Mads asked through his earpiece.

"Yes, the tubes are currently holding the reaper in place. If you destroy them, the reaper will collapse under its own weight." Edi replied.

"Then let's get to work." Mads ordered as he pulled out his magnum. "You guys take a tube each. Let's hope we don't get too much company." They both nodded at the order.

It was wishful thinking that no one would disturb them while they took out the tubes. Collectors flew in, and Harbinger took a personal control several times to try and ensure their demise. Garrus used his sniper to deliver the most amount of damage possible, while Mads kept the collectors off his back.

Mads heard the shattering glass as he put a bullet in the head of a collector. He looked up to see the reaper slowly collapsing as the whole thing went down. Mads sighed in relief as the giant reaper fell down to the dark abyss. Mads began chuckling, thinking they had finally done it. He emptied the bullet out of the chamber of the magnum as they all took a moment to breathe.

"If you guys can hear me, begin to retreat to the Normandy. We are almost done here. Joker? Prepare everything, I'm going to blow this place sky-fucking-high" Mads said into his earpiece.

"We'll get right on it. We have an incoming signal from the Illusive man. I'm patching you through now." Joker replied. Mads was currently pulling up the hardware that should allow him to do what needed to be done.

Tali projected the image of the Illusive man through her omni-tool. "Romanov. Well done, you have done the impossible" He said.

"My _team_ did the impossible. Though I think some of the crew might have kicked the bucket. Poor souls." Mads replied as he kept his eye on the hardware.

"I am aware. Sacrifeces had to be made, they won't be forgotten. You conquered the base. Though, I am looking at what Edi sent me, and it would appear that a timed impulse would kill off any remaining collectors, while leaving this place intact. All this technology could be our saving grace. With this knowledge, we can turn the tide!" The illusive man trying to push his agenda. Mads looked up at the hologram of him, and had a look of disbelief on his face.

"Really? You want to save this place after everything that happened here? So many people are dead, this would not turn out in our favor." Mads replied.

"Please don't be short-sighted. If we are to stand any chance against the reapers, we should utilize any resources we can, that includes their technology."

"This entire base is a middle finger to the human race. If we use this, then I don't see how we are better than the reapers."

"This isn't about being better. This is about survival! I thought you, of all people, would understand. I brought you back because you died fighting for what you believe! I knew your potential. Think about what this base can deliver!"

"The Lord will judge me on what I chose in this moment. I have made my choice, for my belief and that of my crew." Mads said as he turned his back on the illusive man.

The Illusive man began rambling about betrayal and how ignorant Mads was being, only for Tali to turn off the hologram. Mads kept working on the hardware, they would have about 10 minutes before the whole place would blow.

Then, suddenly the earth began to shake like there was an earthquake happening. They all trying to regain their balance, but were horrified at what appear from the void below. The reaper wasn't dead, it would seem they had only pissed it off.

"FOCUS FIRE! HIT THE EYES!" Mads noticed the weak spot right away. Glowing like a fucking beacon. Garrus and Tali were both quick to do as told. Mads should have known it was too easy. At least there were no collectors around to fuck it up.

"It's working!" Garrus yelled as he hit the eyes with his accurate sniper. Mads jumped out of cover and unloaded his entire magazine from his Glock into the eyes of the reaper. As soon as he heard the click of his Glock, he switched to the magnum, thank God for it being a double action.

With a final shot from Garrus, the reaper finally couldn't take any more. Its systems began to malfunction, its eyes bursting out into flames as it rocked back and forth. As a last fuck you to Mads, it decided to collapse on the very platform they were standing on. It would take them into the void below. Mads noticed Tali was sliding down the almost vertical platform, Mads jumped after her.

Tali was sure that in that moment, she would die. She mentally prepared herself for it, said her farewell to Mads like he could read his mind. She could only think about what would happen next, as she fell closer to the edge. As soon as she fell over the edge, something unexpected happened. Mads was right behind her, and was quick to grab unto a structure. He grabbed Tali's wrist in a tight hold, unfortunately hard enough to pop her wrist out of its socket. She yelped in pain as Mads struggled to keep them both from falling.

With his remaining strength, Mads was able to haul her up from death. She didn't even have time to think, it all happened so fast. Only this wasn't the end of it, as soon as they had escaped death, it tried to come for them once again. A platform crashed into theirs, causing it all to fall apart. It knocked them all out cold.

* * *

Mads didn't know if he should drop to his knees and thank to lord for sparing him, or spit at his name for putting him here in the first place. But with the strength Mads could muster, he pulled himself out from under the metal plate. Mads coughed out the dust and smoke from his lungs and he began to check on the others.

Tali was laying a few feet to his side, he quickly rushed to her. She was alive, thank god. Her wrist needed to be snapped into place, but they could do that later. And he probably had to apologize for it. She looked fine otherwise, expect a little roughed up, but they were all roughed up.

Mads quickly went to check on Garrus after that. He pulled him from the wreckage that had landed upon him. But the tough bastard wasn't dead yet, thank god for that as well. The last thing he needed was Garrus haunting him.

"Captain! Do you read me?" Joker asked desperately.

"I'm here, did the others make it?" Mads asked out of principle.

"Yes, all are accounted for. We are waiting on you guys!" Joker replied.

"We're coming!" Mads said. Seeker swarms were fixed on making it hard for them, and Harbinger thought it would be a good time to have a little monologue. Though Mads didn't pay any attention to it. He was too focused on getting out alive.

"FUCKING MOVE!" Mads ordered hastily to them as he covered Tali and Garrus from behind. They were quite a ways in front of him. Mads could almost cheer as he saw the Normandy come into view. But he quickly realized it wouldn't mean shit unless he got to it.

Mads had never been happier to see Joker providing cover for him. He saw Tali and Garrus make the jump, and he knew they were safe. Now, it was only him remaining. Things were falling apart quick, and the collectors were hot on his ass. It didn't make it any better when he saw he had to jump for safety.

And jumped he did, and for a moment, he believed he wouldn't make it. His mind quickly read the situation, he was too low for the jump to be successful. He would tear the Lord a new asshole when he came back into heaven. What a shit way to kill him off.

Only he didn't fall, Tali grabbed his wrist for a change. Though Mads felt extremely bad when he heard her yelp of pain as she held on to him. She had grabbed him with her dislocated wrist. God, he really needed to make that up to her. With the help of Garrus, Tali pulled Mads up into the safety of the Normandy. Joker kept up his fire for a little longer as Edi steered the ship away.

Mads didn't get up from the wall immediately. He just laughed at the realization that they had actually done it. They had gone and fucked the collectors in their own home. Now, they just needed to get the fuck out of there. Joker was back in his seat as quickly as he could; Mads finally got up and followed him there.

Joker really was the best pilot he had ever seen. Those maneuvers were lifesaving in the end. They watched the base explode as the headed for the relay to carry them home.

* * *

The Normandy had suffered some great damage, but it could all be repaired in due time. Right now, as they had cleared their way back through the Omega 4 relay, all Mads needed was for the comms to work. The whole place was a mess, but they did work.

Mads called up the Illsuive man. They needed to have a final chat about what had happened. No doubt he would be pissed.

"Romanov. You have costed me far more than you are worth. Look at what you have done!" The Illusive man was close to losing his otherwise endless supply of patience.

"The Lord is my Shepard. This decision was the correct one to make." Mads replied as he placed a cigarette between his lips and gave fire to it.

"That base could have ensured Human dominance for a long time! Against both the reapers and beyond." The Illusive man snarled at Mads.

"I have a hard time believing that Cerberus would act in the interest of the greater good. I will do things my way from now on; I don't really care much about your opinion on the matter." Mads explained as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"Don't you turn your back on me, Romanov!" The Illusive man had finally risen from his sitting position in the chair, going on about what selfish Mads was being.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we will see each other again soon, Jack Harper." Mads smiled. The Illusive man had a look of disbelief on his face.

"How did you-"

"I know people, and it turns out you didn't erase your past so cleanly as you had hoped. Just like I didn't cover up mine as well as I thought. But you shouldn't worry about that. Joker, cut us loose." Mads ordered.

"Aye aye Captain." Joker replied over the comms. The vision cut from the Illusive man. They were officially rouge. Best thing to hope for, was that it was a good thing to be.


	54. Chapter 53: A deal

**26/8 2185**

 **Normandy.**

Mads let out a sigh as he stood in the ruined comm room. The place where he had recruited so many people to this mission. Where he gotten his mission briefing so many times. But now, it was as empty and hallow as one might expect after a hard battle with an enemy force. The small ashtray was already filled to the brim with ash. Mads still turned on his zippo, and listened to the nice click sound it makes, and the sweet sound of flint creating fire. The Nicotine was a nice touch, as Mads still waited for them to get a signal. He needed to contact the alliance. He had to make some sort of deal.

While waiting, Mads realized it might be a while. So he decided to finally do what he should have done from the beginning: Visit Tali. She was down by Chakwas, and had her wrist looked at. He took one last drag of the cigarette, before putting it out in the ashtray. Smoke was still coming from the ashtray as Mads left the room.

The crew were anything but lazy. Even though they most of them had either been close to death, or fighting death itself, they were hard at work making repairs on the Normandy. Mads had a vague idea of what he could give in return for his crew's safety. Though he doubted his crew would go along with it willingly.

Mads greeted several people as he made his way to the med bay where Tali was. Mads prepared some half-assed excuse in his head as he mentally prepared himself for going in there. He was, after all, the reason Tali was stuck in there for now….. For several reasons as it would turn out. Mads opened the door, and found Tali lying in the bed, with Chakwas in the chair beside her. They were talking, but stopped as they turned their attention to Mads.

Mads first turned his attention to Chakwas. She had been through hell with the rest of the Normandy crew. No doubt she would have mental scars forever. What she had been through, no amount of drugs or therapy would erase. Which was damn sad, because Chakwas was an excellent doctor. Loyal as hell too, a trait that might seem rare these days.

"How are you doc?" Mads asked as he approached her. Hoping he might buy himself some more time to think before talking with Tali.

"I'm fine, and forever grateful for what you did….. We all are." Chakwas replied with a hint of a smile, but pain as well.

"I couldn't leave you guys there. The things you went through… It must have been horrible." Mads remarked in sympathy.

"Yes, it was horrible. But you saved us from what could have happened." Chakwas said.

"You're quite welcome… Do you mind giving me and Tali a minute?" Mads asked, shifting a bit on his feet.

"No, of course not. I'll be just outside if you need me." Chakwas replied as she got up and left the med bay. Mads sat down on the edge of the bed Tali was on. Her wrist had a cast on it. Mads smiled when he remembered that people had gotten the same treatment back in the day.

"Should I be the first to write on it?" Mads asked with a laugh as he pointed to the cast.

"Write on it?" Tali asked back confused.

"It's a thing people used to do. Write your regards, so that you know people are there for you." Mads explained.

"Really? Sure, go ahead." Tali replied as she held out her arm. Mads took a pen from the Chakwas' desk and began to write a small message. As he pressed the pun on the cast and forming the first letter, Mads spoke up.

"I'm truly sorry for forcing you to be down here." Mads said with care.

"I would have been down here anyway." Tali replied with a smile.

"How so?" Mads asked confused and with some concern.

"Our night together. I have a nasty cough and a high fever." Tali answered.

"Tali, I-" Mads started, but Tali raised her other hand to silence him.

"For the record: It was totally worth it." She smirked. Mads chuckled at the comment as he finished the last latter in the sentence.

"There we are." He said as he placed the pen back on the desk.

Tali took a quick look at it, and was a bit surprised. It said: "Sorry for doing to to you :( Get well soon!" She chuckled at the writing. She looked up at Mads, but saw a semi-serious face.

"How long are you going to be in here?" He asked with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Not long. Chakwas said a couple of days. But I shouldn't do anything with this hand-" She raised her wrist to emphasize her point "- for close to three weeks." She replied.

"Get well soon, alright?" Mads said.

"I will." She promised. "But….. What happens now?" Tali asked back.

"I don't know. I'm waiting for us to get a signal so I can contact the alliance. I hope to make some sort of deal. But, I think we both know I have to face judgment for what I have been doing the last couple of months." Mads explained, letting out a sigh at the end.

"I think everything will work out." Tali stayed optimistic.

"I hope so. Anyway, I have to get back to the comm room. You better rest up." Mads said with a smile as he arose from the bed and left the room.

"I will." She remarked as he left.

* * *

"Admiral Hackett?" Mads asked. He was kind of surprised to see the admiral there.

"Yes, it's me. Anderson is also on the line." Hackett replied.

"Hey son, how is it going?" Mads was relieved to hear Anderson's voice again. He still carried that calm tone.

"It's great to be in contact with you guys again… It's done. The collectors are no more." Mads explained.

"Really?" Anderson asked with wide eyes. Deep down, he knew Mads was more than capable to handle the task when he first spoke about it. But he had done it so quick.

"And Cerberus?" Hackett jumped in asked.

"I cut contact with the Illusive man. He was less than pleased… But, there is a pressing matter I have speak with you about." Mads said.

"I know. You are worried about what happens next." It was like Anderson could read Mads' mind, and it made Mads chuckle a bit. The old man knew him so well.

"Yes. I was hoping to cut some sort of deal." Mads replied.

"Then pitch us." Hackett demanded, but in otherwise calm tone.

"I turn over the ship and myself into custody. My crew gets to walk away. What do you say?" Mads suggested.

"Hmmmmmm." Hackett and Anderson were both thinking. Mads could see Anderson's face, and he knew that he was on with the deal. But Hackett had something else in mind.

"We can do it, if you handle an issue first." Hackett replied.

"And that is?" Mads asked with a raised eyebrow.

"This is more of a… Personal favor. But I reckon it might be useful for you as well down the road." Hackett replied. Anderson looked at him with a confused look, that told Mads, that Anderson didn't know about this either.

"Do tell." Mads urged Hackett to go on.

"We have an operative in Batarian space. She is in deep cover. Her name is Dr. Kenson. I reached word recently that she is being held in a Batarian prison camp on Aratoht. Her latest report mentioned she found evidence of a reaper invasion." Hackett explained.

"Really? I thought the alliance denied the Reaper existed." Mads asked.

"Me and Anderson both believe you, and I have known Dr. Kenson a long time. If she says that the artifact is evidence of an invasion, I would say it is worth checking out." Hackett replied.

"I see. Anything else?" Mads asked further.

"You need to do this solo. This is a personal favor, not an alliance mission." Hackett answered. Mads looked at him confused for several reasons.

"And why am I doing this solo? Don't the alliance care about it?" Mads asked with a confused tone.

"You need to do this quietly. The Batarians will kill her the instant an armed squad turns up. Please, for my sake, do this quietly." Hackett almost pleaded.

"If this is what is needed to secure my deal. Then I will do it. You have my word." Mads promised.

"Thank you, Romanov. I think this evidence would help you in the long run. Good luck….. And god speed." Hackett said as a final note, and closed the call.

So he had to do it alone. He didn't like that idea, and he had been loud in his mission for a long time. Mads needed to think this through. No doubt he would need a silencer for his weapon. But he didn't have the time to contact Sergei regarding it. But…. There was that printer they had. Maybe he could make his own.

* * *

 **28/8 2185**

 **Aratoht**

The shuttle was prepped and loaded. They would drop off Mads, and they would be out of there before they were seen by the Batarian. It was a risky plan, and Mads knew it. He sighed as he finished suiting up. It had been a long while since he did anything stealthy, so this was differently a change. Tali, and the rest of the crew for that matter, had voiced their concerns about Mads going in alone. He had told them that this needed to be done.

Mads checked that all his guns were loaded and ready for use, when he saw Tali. She was walking towards him, and Mads looked at her confused.

"I thought you had to stay in bed for a while longer." Mads joked. He knew she would leave that bed soon, but not this soon.

"I still don't like this." She admitted.

"Well….. Neither do I. But I cut a deal, this should buy us-…. Or at least you and the others, freedom." Mads replied.

"Be-…. Be careful, alright? Promise me you will be careful." Tali demanded.

"I will. I will come back." Mads promised as he pulled her into a hug. He didn't put too much pressure on her, considering her wrist.

"We will be waiting for you." Tali said. "I have to get back before Chakwas notices I am gone." Tali added.

Mads laughed and bit her farewell. This was also the first time in a long time he had gone in solo. It would be different, but perhaps a breath of fresh air too. No having to command anyone, just do everything by himself. Fun or hard? That remains to be seen.

Mads stepped on the shuttle. No one else was there, but the pilot. Mads gave the all clear to take off. Mads checked his watch as the shuttle took off from the hanger and flew towards the planet. He hoped to do this as quickly and as painlessly as possible. If that was even possible.

* * *

Mads jumped off the shuttle and down upon the concrete. This place was a shithole. The stench that invaded his nose was almost unbearable. Mads knew he shouldn't have expected a prison camp to be nice, especially since it was a Batarian prison camp. Only the lord knows what they are doing to the doctor at that moment. Mads took out his glock, and began to screw on his silencer. He had been right, the printer worked just fine to produce it.

Mads cut the power to the first door, and began his decent into the dungeon. No doubt it would be filled with nasty surprises. Varren was the first creature Mads found. They were roaming around, feeding off the remains of the dead prisoners that had been thrown down there, like trash. If Mads could, he tried to stab the creatures in the skull, and save his ammunition for the Batarians.

The place was a maze. It was hard to navigate it. The lights were out, and the floor looked ready to crumble down to whatever hell was underneath it. Mads kept himself silent, moving from cover to cover. Mads was glad that the walls were paper-thin sometimes, it meant he could eardrop on the bastards on the other side.

It was raining outside. The ground was turning to mud, Mads checked his safety was off, and made sure his breath was even as he fired off a round into the skull of a Batarian guard. Mads quickly took out the guard standing beside him. Mads dragged them out of sight. He made a mental note to clean this mud out of his boots when he came back, because it was sticking to it like hell.

Mads heard the rumors the Batarians were throwing around. Apparently Dr. Kenson had made plans to destroy the relay, and ruin the colony below, which had close to 300.000 Batarians on it. Mads thought about it. He wasn't sure if it was true, but he would know the truth soon enough.

Dropping down a level, he made his way to the holding cell... Or torture room. Depending on how you look at it. Mads stabbed the Batarian looking on behind the two way mirror. It would seem Dr. Kenson was holding on strong. Though her situation couldn't be less ideal than it was. Good thing he was here, otherwise, she would have been fucked.

As Mads entered the room, he took the Batarian torturer in a choke hold and stopped him from carrying out any more of his torture upon the poor doctor. The Batarian struggled in Mads' grip, but in the end, Mads just snapped the bastard's neck and let the body hit the floor. Dr. Kenson seemed mighty confused by this.

"Dr. Kenson, I presume?" Mads asked as he went behind the machine to release her.

"Yes, but who the hell are you?" She asked back. No much of a filter for a doctor, but in the current situation, she is excused.

"Captain Romanov. I'm here to get you out." Mads replied as he began to unlock all the locks holding her in place.

"So Hackett did get my message. Thank God." She remarked.

"Can you walk?" Mads asked as he unlocked the final one.

"Get me out of here, and I'll fucking fly." She answered with a cocky, but determined voice.

"Got ya." Mads said as he helped her out of the torture machine.

"We need to find a security terminal. I can hack into their system." She ordered.

"I'm sure we will find one." Mads took a weapon off the dead Batarian and give it to her. "I hope you are ready for a firefight." Mads said.

"Hell yeah. These bastards will pay." She replied.

Mads took the lead, having switched to his AK after stealth didn't matter anymore. The Batarians had been alerted to the fact they were here. They were quickly coming after them. Luckily, these Batarian were not equipped to deal with a heavily armed man like Mads. So fighting wasn't too tough, and Dr. Kenson stayed behind Mads. He needed to keep her alive, or shit would really hit the fan.

It didn't take long before they found a security terminal they could use, and it was much needed at this point. Kenson quickly got to work, and ordered Mads to guard her. Now, the Batarians were really throwing numbers at them. Luckily, the gate could be closed, but that didn't stop them from coming from below.

"Hurry up Kenson!" Mads ordered as he kept firing his rifle. As long as they were not too close, the situation was manageable. She was hard at work bringing an elevator down, and Mads could see the Batarians were hard at work wielding the door open from the other side.

It came just in time, only this wasn't the end of it. They had open the hanger door, and escape with the shuttle. The doors weren't easy to open either, and it didn't help Batarians were there to try and stop them. Mads switched to his AA-12 to try and keep them at bay. It did the trick nicely, and made sure they had breathing room.

With the hanger doors open, they could take the shuttle. Mads and Kenson quickly escaped, just before another squad of Batarians turned up. They were burned by the force of the shuttle as Mads and Kenson escaped.

* * *

It was quiet in the shuttle as they got away. Kenson had been able to lock their security mesaures in place, and buying them time to get out of range.

"That was fucking close... Mind letting me in on your secret then?" Mads asked as he sat down.

"Me and my team found strong evidence of the reapers here. I know they are coming this way. They are using the alpha relay as their main entrance to the invasion. Taking it out, could buy us month, if not years." She explained.

"Damn, so the charges were true. And are you sure about this? How strong is the evidence? Killing of the entire systems does seem a little... extreme." Mads remarked.

"It may be extreme, but it must be done. The reapers are too powerful for our current military situation. This could be what we need. The artifact we found is more than enough evidence, it explained everything. I'll go into more detail once we hit Arcturus station." She said.

They kept going back and forth about this evidence. It seemed an awful a lot like what Mads had experience two years prior. Mads needed to see this evidence. If killing off the system was needed... Then so be it. Sacrifices has to be made, and it might as well be the weak that gets it.

It didn't take long before they reached the base. They countdown there was shocking to say the least. Two days, they needed to move quickly. Mads and Kenson rushed through the building. IT was actually quite a sizable project they were running.

The reaper artifact was huge, and Mads became instantly worried. It was out in the open, there was no telling what it was doing to the population on the proejct base. Kenson urged Mads to get the proof he need.

And proof he got. The vision was short, but it was clear. The reapers would use the relay to get into this system. Only Mads should have seen the tell-tale signs on Kenson. She was in too deep. Her mind had been fried and given to the reapers.

"I can't let you shut this down, Captain. I can't let you delay arrival!" She proclaimed as she held a gun to Mads' head.

"Fuck you." Mads snarled as he took her wrist and broke it. The gun fell out of her hand. Kenson had been so kind as to call for back up, and soon the room was flooding with personal.

There were simply too many people, and Mads had been using a lot of his ammunition against the Batarians. It didn't help that Harbringer was speaking to him as well. In the end, it was too much. Mads knew he should have brought his squad with him. He would give Hackett a earfull when he was done here... That is, if he came back.

It must have been a while before Mads got back to the land of the living. But he was in the med bay, and from his numbness, it was clear they tried to sedate him. But his touch up from Cerberus kept that was getting full effect.

The medical officer rushed out of the room when she saw he was awake. She called for security, who tried to pull their guns on Mads. In one quick motion, Mads was able to knock both their weapons out of their hand.

Although, he was locked in now. He had to get out. Time was limited. Luckily, these idiots didn't count on the fact that the mechs could still be used. Needless to say, that medical officer suffered the fate she deserved. Now, according to the data log, Mads had even less time than before.

Kenson was barking orders. Mads realized he had to get moving. Luckily, all his gear was stored nearby, and he got suited up in record time. He was off, rushing to where he needed to be. The security team was trying to stop him, but it was fruitless.

These guards were tainted by reaper control. They thought they could stop him, but they fell like flies. Mads couldn't look back, he needed to be quick.

"Come on! Let's play!" Mads yelled as he set the flamethrower trooper on fire. They others did not back away. This was turning ugly. Everyone here was being controlled. It was a sad fate.

After a while, he finally reached project control. He stepped up to the console, and turned it on.

"Welcome to project control." The VI said.

"I want to activate the project." Mads ordered.

"Are you sure? Activating the project will result in an estimated 305000 casualties. Do you wish to continue?" It asked. It was a moral question. Why the fuck did it remind him?

"... Yes, sacrifice the weak." Mads finally said as he pushed the button. But it wasn't the end. Dr. Kenson still had one last card to play. Destroy the rock they were on.

So it came down to this. Mads wondered how he should explain it all to Hackett, but he could worry about that later. There were more pressing matters. Mads quickly took care of the guards in the project room, and he quickly took the elevator down.

"Dr. Kenson! Stop right there!" Mads ordered as he saw her.

"Romanov! Don't you dare stop him! Look at what you have done! The reaper's blessing will come either way, but we will all die!" She proclaimed.

"I will kill you Kenson if you don't knock that shit out!" Mads yelled at her.

"I can't." She stated as she walked off. Mads was pissed off in that moment. He took his 44. Magnum and just went down the hallway, killing everyone with a headshot as he walked. Kenson was throwing her last troops at Mads, in the hopes it would stop him. She should have known that when fury overtakes you, nothing can stop you.

Mads managed to get the first cooling rod in, and stabilize the core a bit more. However, the fight was far from over. The other cooling rod was still a far away, and Mads had to tear his way through. The amount of people killed would be overwhelming. But this was needed, it had to be done. Morals be damned.

With the second cooling rod in place, Mads took the elevator down to see Kenson. Now, it was time.

"Hold it right there, you fucking scum!" Mads yelled as he pointed his magnum at her.

"Fuck you! You ruined everything!" She cried. "I will never see their glorious arrival now!" She was angry, and Mads could see the grenade she had in her hand.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Mads yelled, but her intent was clear. Mads took the shot. Clean, through the forehead. Her body collapsed to the floor, but as luck would have it, it went off regardless. Mads was knocked out from the blast.

Mads had no clue how much time had passed, but these were the final moments it would seem. There was no going back. The course was set. It didn't help Mads couldn't reach the Normandy. He had to get on a shuttle and get his ass out of there, before it was too late.

Mads ran through the base, the clock was really ticking, and he had some ways to go before he could reach safety. The landing pad was full of mechs and guards. It must have been the remaining force. Mads ran out of ammo for his AK as the fight was coming to a close, good thing he brought a lot of different guns with him.

With the last person dead, Mads could move on to the communication tower. Only Mads got a rather unpleasant surprise. Harbinger, in his true form, as a hologram. Not cowering behind a collector general.

"Romanov. You remain an annoyance. But you are irrelevant. Everything you do, will be in vain. You fight against the tide, and you will lose." Harbinger remarked, in his usual menacing voice.

"Ah, I see the great Harbinger graces me with his appearance. Are you still in charge? I thought the reapers would have overthrown you by now, for your poor leadership." Mads chuckled. "It doesn't matter. You will go down. We will not lay down our arms, we will not surrender. This is a fight to the death." Mads replied.

"No matter what you say, Romanov. You will die. This is the will of the reapers, and it will be as such." With that, the call ended. Luckily for Mads, Normandy was right there to pick him up. Mads sprinted to the Normandy as fast as his legs would carry him. He jumped on, and quickly ordered the Normandy to get out of there.

Mads rushed to the cockpit and demanded that Joker get them out of there. And in was just in time too. In the end, the plan worked as it should. Mads watched the thing happen from his place at the CIC.

"... I am become death... The destroyer of worlds. " Mads remarked coldly as he took a deep breath.


	55. Chapter 54: Atonement

**31/8/2185**

 **Normandy.**

Mads was really tired, more so than usual. It was hard knowing what he had done, and for some reason, it was even harder to talk to Hackett about it. They had been without a signal for two days now, and it was just beginning to come back. Mads knew Hackett trusted almost as much as Anderson did, but this was on a whole other level of fucked up. He had killed over 300.000 Batarians, sacrificed the weak. Deep down, he was conflicted. He knew it was the right choice, he brought everyone else time, but the again, it was a huge price. If it would turn out, that the alliance would not utilize this chance, there would be no telling what would happen. Nothing good at least.

But, Mads had to speak with Hackett at some point. Might as well be now. He hadn't informed the crew of the deal, they hardly even knew the details about what happened on that rock. Should they know? Maybe, but Mads had no time to deal with that at the moment. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

Mads stood in the comms room, awaiting Hackett. He would call at any moment. His mind lingered to what would happen. Most of all, how would Tali react? They had been together for….. A month actually, to the day. It was a weird feeling. But it was good, Mads could feel how great it was to be with her, and he wished for nothing more. But his wishes were hardly ever fulfilled in that regard. Like always, things would be stripped from him.

The hologram finally appeared. Hackett stood in full dress uniform. Mads fumbled with his lighter as he attempted to light a cigarette. There was some awkward silence between them in the beginning. Neither knew where to begin. This was a huge issue.

"I would have liked to have debriefed you in person, Romanov. But time is scarce as it is. However, this personal favor turned out to become something much more serious." Hackett said. His tone wasn't angry, but there was a hint of…. Something in there.

"I know. A colony destroyed, a relay gone. But if think, for even one second, I did this for personal or selfish reasons, then you can go fuck yourself." Mads replied.

"Listen Captain, I would like to know why there is 300.000 Batarians dead, and why their government is pressing us for answers." Hackett demanded.

"You were right. Dr. Kenson found evidence that showed a reaper invasion through the system. There were several drawbacks, however. Whatever evidence and data I could store, I can transfer to you now." Mads said as he transferred the files to Hackett.

"Kenson was in too deep. The artifact did things to her, the same that happened to Saren. She was prepared to let the reapers right through. She adored them religiously. I tried to help her, to save her, but it was too late. She drugged me, and I was gone for two days. When I came back, I had just about 2 hours to stop the invasion." Mads explained.

Hackett had a look on his face that read disbelief. He couldn't understand it. Mads knew he believed in the reapers, but it must have been the part about Kenson that threw him off. He had expected her to be alive. Loss is a hard thing to overcome, still, denial is the first part of the grieving process. Mads didn't blame him in the slightest.

"It was the only way to stop the invasion, admiral! I had no choice! Even if I did warm the colonists, it would have meant nothing. They home would have been destroyed. I brought us time. But, do not thing I take pride in doing this." Mads continued.

Hackett was quiet, and Mads found that worse than anything. He would rather receive an earful from him, than be given the silent treatment. Hackett let out a sigh as he rubbed his temples, he then took a deep breath.

"I believe you, captain. I believe you are telling the truth. You told the truth about Saren, you told the truth about the collectors, and I do believe you are telling the truth once again. But my words won't mean much compared to the rest of the alliance. This whole ordeal, it will be nothing but trouble." Hackett finally said.

"What about our deal?" Mads asked.

"Let me put it like this. The Alliance needs to get you, in order to avoid total war with the Batarians. You need to stand trial, face the music. But, in order to get to you, they have to accept that the rest of the crew walks free. I think they can understand that, and I do believe that handing over the Normandy will smooth things over." Hackett explained.

"Great. If I have to atone for my actions, then so be it." Mads replied.

"I'm glad to see you still have honor. It's a rare trait these days." Hackett remarked. "When can you be in the solar system?" Hackett asked.

"A few days, hopefully." Mads answered.

"Good, then I will inform the alliance. Be sure to be dressed nicely when you return." Hackett promised. "Hackett out." And with that, the hologram disappeared. Mads took a long drag of his cigarette as he stood in silence. He looked at his watch, and saw that the clock was nearing 8. Tali had written him a message just before he called Hackett. She wanted to meet him in his quarters.

He had to inform her first. He felt that was the right call. Then he would inform the crew. They deserved to know what would happen. It wasn't the end of the world….. At least not yet. There was still time for that. They needed to know what would happen next. So, after putting out his cigarette into the ashtray, he went out to take the elevator. Only, it seemed very quiet on the vessel, but he didn't make much note of it.

When Mads finally reached his room, he took note that the lights were off. "Edi, turn on the lights." Mads ordered.

There was no response from Edi. The lights didn't turn on. That was strange. Mads took his magnum out of his holster and proceed with caution to the nearest switch. He raised his magnum as his other hand turned on the lights.

He damn near had a heart attack when he saw every one of his squad, plus a few extra, standing in his room waiting for him. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They all yelled at once as balloons fell from the ceiling and one asshole tooted in a fucking horn.

"Jesus-Fucking-Christ! Y'all scared the shit out of me." Mads said as he relaxed his hand put his magnum down in his holster. Mads had to even out his heartbeat once he knew it was all clear. This had to have been Tali's idea. Of course it was. She had asked him when his birthday was, and he had made a point to say she didn't need to throw a party. Yet she did. She had a broken wrist and she still threw a party for him.

They all said happy birthday and wished him the best. It wasn't long before Garrus cracked open the alcohol and everyone went to get a drink. Mads couldn't help but smile at the sight of them all there. They had all been in on it, and no doubt it was Tali that had brought the issue before them. She really was perfect.

Joker and Garrus approached him, and handed Mads a small gift. Mads stared at them in disbelief. They had actually brought a gift for him?

"A little something you can celebrate with, considering everything that happen." Garrus said as Mads began to unwrap it.

Mads chuckled when he saw what it was. "Holy shit guys! A cigar! And a Cuban one none-the-less?" Mads was in awe over it. "Thanks guys, it means a lot. Though, I think I'll save it." Mads said as he pocked it.

"No worries, Captain. A small payment for all you have done for us." Joker replied.

"I think Tali wishes to speak with you." Garrus said after poking Mads in the side. He could see her standing over by one of the serving tables. They had made some cake, brownies to be exact. They were quite good. Mads wasn't sure where they had located the ingredients to it, but he wouldn't press for answers.

Instead, Mads approached Tali. She also stood with a gift in her hand. A rather large package, wrapped in some makeshift paper. She turns her attention away from Kenneth and guerrilla to face Mads. Mads has come to know her pretty well, and he can make out the signs she is smiling. She holds out the package for Mads to take.

"You shouldn't have." Mads said in a quiet voice.

"Yes, I should." She replies. Mads gives her a half smile as he takes the package.

"Go on! Open it!" She demands. Mads laughs and complies with her order.

He is stunned when he finally got a look at the item. He couldn't believe it. It seemed surreal even. His old note book, full of ramblings and sketches he used to make when he was younger. It was one of the few things he never got back. A thing lost to time, like so many other things.

"I'll be damned. You actually got my notebook? Where did you find it?" Mads asked in disbelief as he studied it. Mads couldn't help the smile that formed on his face.

"Liara located it. I asked her if she could find anything that was yours, and she found this book. I figured…. You would like it." Tali replied.

Mads put the book down on the table beside him. He then, in a swift movement, pulled Tali into a hug. He felt like keeping her in a hug forever. She cared, she really did. The party stopped their activities and looked at them. It felt like forever, yet not long enough, when Mads pulled away from her.

"What are y'all staring at?" Mads asked. The tone was more jokingly than anything. They all went back to whatever they were doing. "Thank you Tali, truly." Mads said.

"It's nothing. You have done so much for us, this is the least I could do." Tali replied while running her gloved three finger hand up and down Mads' cheek. God damn, he loved that woman.

The party went on for a while. People enjoyed themselves…. And liberally took from his liquor cabinet. But that didn't matter. In a few days, none of that would matter much anymore. Which reminded him: He had to tell them. His original plan was to tell Tali first, but he wanted to do it here. No doubt there would be protests to it, but it was for the greater good.

Mads hit the side of his glass with a spoon a couple of times. Everyone turned their attention to him. "Everyone! Please! May I have your attention?" Mads yelled out, in was actually pretty crowded in his quarters.

"I want to thank you all for what you have done. I-…. I didn't expect it. But, please know that I am forever grateful for what you have done, not only tonight, but for this entire mission. We survived hell and high water." Mads began. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"That is always why I feel like I should tell y'all something." Mads then changed his tone a bit, to know he was more serious this time around. "As you all know. I had to do a favor a few days ago. I know much of you don't know what went down there. Let me tell you: I learned of the reaper invasion through that system, and I decided to stop it." Mads took a break. "In order to do so, I had to destroy the relay. Give time to the alliance and the rest of the galaxy. But, I… Effectively killed over 300.000 Batarians in doing so." It was quiet in the room. People were processing the information.

"I did this mission solo, and there it is my burden….. My burden to carry alone. I have spoken with both Admiral Hackett, and Councilor Anderson about a deal. I think this deal will work out in y'all's favor." They all listened. No words were spoken in that room. It was silent. Mads downed some of his drink and continued.

"I gave Edi and Joker orders to head to earth. On the way, we will stop at the citadel…. You will all be relieved of duty there. I will pay for whatever transportation you need to get where ever you are going. I, however, have to head to earth." Mads took another break. He switched his drink to his other hand.

"I must atone for my actions." He said. Then, words of protest broke out. Mads tried to calm them all down, but it was hard.

"You can't be serious, Romanov!" Garrus yelled. "We can find another way!" Garrus was scanning his mind for possibilities to bypass the issue. The others did the rest.

"I appreciate it Garrus. I really do. But, I will do more good in alliance custody than on the run. This is also about honor. It's about doing the right thing." Mads replied, and they all went quiet again. "I secured freedom for all of you. Please use it wisely. Spread the word about the reapers. Prepare in any way you can. This is my final request for all of you." Mads said as a final note, before downing his drink completely.

Mads could hear the almost silent sobs from Tali. It was clear that this hit her the hardest, and he even shed a tear. Mostly when he thought about leaving her. But, this was settled. He wanted her to live in freedom, even if had to go through a trial himself. Mads doubted this trial would work out in his favor, but he was ready to face the music.

People gave their thanks to Mads, most of them urging Mads to reconsider his choice. But in the end, they understood that it was the right one. It was always going to happen like that. They took comfort in knowing Mads was prepared for his judgment.

When the final people left, Mads was left alone with Tali. She was still lightly crying on the bed as he locked the door after Garrus left. Garrus was always loyal, and he promised to honor Mads' request in every way he could. Mads stepped down the stairs and sat on the bed where Tali was. He pulled her into a hug and let her weep into his chest. They stayed like that for a while.

"It was always going to happen like this Tali. I can't run forever. This is the best choice." Mads whispered to her. She lightly nodded her head. She understood. She was always smart.

"I just can't stand losing you." She finally admitted, her voice meek and weak from the crying.

"You won't lose me. When the reapers come knocking, they'll be begging for my help. Until then, sit tight and gather support. That's all I ask of you. Believe it or not, you have the hard job." Mads tried to lighten the mood, but it was hard.

"I know you are afraid, Tali. But, please, try to understand that this is for the best. I'm certain we will see each other again." Mads remarked.

"…. I know." She replied. She stayed silent for a moment, and then she did something unexpected. She raised her hand to her helmet, and took off her visor. Mads stared at her confused for a moment.

"… Wait, didn't Chakwas tell you to-" Mads was silenced by Tali straddling him and locking him in a kiss. All Mads could do was hum into the kiss as it went on. She seemed even more eager this time around.

It took a while, but she finally broke the kiss to get some air. "Please, I need this." She admitted.

"Well….. If the misses insist-" Mads began.

"She does." She Finished and locked him in a kiss again. He was in for a long night, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. It was fair to say they enjoyed themselves that night. The last time they will do it for quite a while.

* * *

 **04/09/2018**

 **Citadel.**

The day finally came. Mads had to say goodbye to them all, well, nearly all. Joker, and a skeleton crew was there to help make sure the Normandy got to Earth in one piece. But a huge part of the crew stepped off here at the citadel. Mads had kept his promise, and paid for their trips. It didn't feel right to strand them on the citadel.

"Take care brother. You call, and I'll come running." Garrus said. His sniper rifle was strapped to his back. Mads'….. _Garrus'_ deagle was sitting neatly in his leather holster. Where they would end, Mads had no idea.

"Thank you. You take care as well. Don't get sidetracked by a gun store." Mads joked.

"Very funny." Garrus replied. They shared one last hug before nodding to each other. Garrus disappeared into the crowd after that. Mads had an interaction with all of them. Bidding them all farewell, either a handshake or a hug. They all promised to honor his wish, and try their best to put together some forces.

It was the farewell to Tali that took the most time, and that was the most heartbreaking for Mads. She cried again, but Mads spoke softly about his promise that they would see each other again. Mads had asked Garrus to try and keep an eye on her while he was away, just to make sure she would be okay.

"I'll miss you, Tali. I'll think of you every day. But…. Be strong." Mads ordered in a soft tone.

"…. Yes, Captain." She replied with a weak smile as she finally pulled away from their hug.

"That's the way it is." Mads remarked as he stepped back. He waved to them as they slowly disappeared, all of them. Lord knows when he would see them again. Hopefully soon enough.

* * *

 **06/09/2018**

 **Sol system, close to the moon.**

Mads stood on his post. Watching over the CIC, and the empty Normandy. Normally, there would be chatter all around. Not this time. This time, the only thing that could be heard was the orders thrown between Joker and Edi, and a few buttons being pushed every now and then. Mads had relocated his ashtray to his position at the CIC. He was dressed in a full ceremonial uniform for the occasion, though not an alliance one, but a Russian officer uniform for the presidential guards.

He was smoking a cigar. He enjoyed the peace and quiet, but his heart was already missing Tali. He was certain it had something to do with the whole _bonding_ thing she spoke about, but he didn't know much about that. Mads instead puffed out some smoke as he awaited the vessel that would arrest him.

Joker kept up his usual joking attitude, but Mads could see the hurt in his eyes. Mads was certain Joker never forgave himself for not saving Mads back on the original Normandy. Mads would bet that Joker had the same sort of feeling now.

Once Mads was arrested, they would transport the Normandy into custody, and probably refit it to be an alliance ship, as they should. It would proudly fly the alliance colors again. Mads kept smoking as he finally heard Joker's voice on the intercom.

"We got a vessel requested permission to board. What are your orders." Joker asked, his voice weak.

"I'll allow it." Mads said as he took another drag of the cigar. Mads rested his other hand on his belt.

"Understood." Joker replied as he finished the boarding procedures. Mads knew that alliance soldiers would storm through the door as the soon as it opened. But Mads kept his cool and smoked on.

True to his prediction, they did indeed storm out. Mads slowly stepped down from his position at the CIC and slowly approached them. Mads was kinda surprised to see them wear N7 armor, he was actually honored that the alliance cared that much. Mads slowly put his cigar out. They all pointed their guns at him as Mads tilted his head to the side.

"DROP YOUR WEAPON!" One of them yelled, referring to his Magnum in his holster.

Mads complied with the request and slowly put the gun on the ground. As they came closer, they kicked the gun away. "That wasn't very nice." Mads remarked, but not before one of the soldiers landed a punch on his face.

"Shut up! You damn traitor!" He yelled at Mads.

Mads just laughed as he lightly smoothed over his bruise. "Is that the best you got?" Mads provoked. Another one of the soldiers put him in handcuffs. The other man took the bait and landed a punch straight into Mads' gut.

Mads coughed a bit, before coming back with a: "Is that the standard for N7s nowadays? Oh my, how far we have fallen." Mads kept up his shit eating grin as the man lined up for another shot. A voice, however, kept him from doing it.

"Stop it! That's enough!" It was Anderson. Mads laughed as he saw the man he come to consider a father walk down the CIC of the Normandy.

"Don't not hit Captain Romanov, or your ass is going to get trialed too, lieutenant" Anderson ordered. His voice sounded tried. They soldier nodded in understanding and stood down.

"It's good to see you again, son. How are you?" Anderson asked with real concern.

"I'll live. Don't worry about me Anderson." Mads answered.

"We best be going then. They are waiting for you…. Down there." Anderson said.

"I know." Mads remarked. They walked in silence to the shuttle that would take them down to Earth. Mads could look forward to a trial within 24 hours. Set up personally for him. All the high military judges would be there, ready to trial him. Mads manned up and walked straight the whole way.

Mads gave one last nod to Joker as he was transported into the shuttle in handcuffs. Anderson tried his best to prepare Mads for what was ahead, but Mads knew there was no 'being prepared' for all of this. They would fly to Vancouver, where the supreme military court was.

Space travailing is such a fascinating thing. It took no time for them to get there, and even less for them to land. Mads hadn't foreseen all the press people gathered there, eager for the story of the month, or maybe even year. They crowded him and the two soldiers escorting him in no time.

One face stood out. One he didn't want to see. Khalisah al-Jilani, such a horrible person. "Captain Romanov! Are you prepared to face judgment for all you have done?" She asked.

"Yes." Was Mads' simple answer. She didn't seem impressed with the answer.

"Do you have any comment for all the people watching out there?" She asked. Hoping to get something to smear him with.

"That's the way it is." Mads simply replied before being pushed forward by the soldiers.

* * *

True to Anderson's words, Mads only had to wait 24 hours for the trial to be ready. It was an impressive court room. Huge and filled with things to look at. Things to distract him. It was filled with people. There were six judges, sitting quietly. The prosecutor was setting some data pads in order. There was light chatter in the room.

That was until the judges called for silence. It went quiet real quick, and Mads got a look from Anderson that said 'It's going to be alright'. Maybe, who knows?

"Captain Romanov. You have decided to appear without a defender. Do you stand by this decision?" The high judge asked.

"Yes, I do." Mads replied.

"Okay, let's get started." The judge remarked as he looked through his own data pads.

They listed all of his crimes. There were quite a few of them. Collaborating with a terrorist organization, destroying a relay and so on. Mads remained silent as the crowd was more and more in shock over each listed crime. The prosecutor had the floor first, and made a damn good case. Then, it became Mads' turn. He stood up, showing off his uniform and all its medals.

"Your honor, and people of this court. I have done a lot in a short amount of time. These things…. They can't be corrected. But I assure all of you, it was not done out of self-interest. It was done with the interest of all of mankind. I defeated the collectors to save the human colonies, I stopped the reaper invasion to save this galaxy. And I'll do it again if I have to." Mads said.

"I know most of you don't want to believe. It is a scary thing to realize. That some ancient machine race wants to wipe us all out. But, it's real. I stand here today, so that I can face judgment and atone for my actions. But, putting me in jail will solve nothing. I brought us time, and that time should be used to prepare."

"Do whatever you have to. Punish me in whatever way is righteous. Just, remember my words here today. Don't go home and forget. Be ready to fight, to fight for everything you love. That's all I'm asking. That… Is my statement." Mads finished and sat down. It was quiet for a little bit, but then a wild applause happened. It went on until the Judge threw the hammer down and yelled for order.

Mads said "Guilty" to his crimes, and that was the end. Dishonorable discharge and 10 years in a prison. A really mild sentence for what he had done. But Mads knew it would only last until the reapers showed up. Mads accepted the sentence. It was done.

Mads had never seen Anderson more sad then he did in that moment. He told Mads just how sorry he was. "Don't be, it was always going to happen this way." Mads smiled and said. "Just do the right thing." Mads added, and Anderson nodded to the request.

With that, Mads was escorted to his cell. Where he would rot away until the faithful day….. Where he would be right.


	56. Chapter 55: I was right

**A /N: Hey guys!**

 **So, we finally reached ME3, it only took….. A year and 5 month? Damn, that's a long time. Anyway, I hope to close the gap between the two games in this chapter, so there should be quite some explaining. I hope you enjoy! And please, leave some feedback, it would mean a lot!**

 **Kind regards**

 **KanisRussell**

* * *

The 6 months since the downfall of the collectors and Mads' imprisonment had went differently for each person involved. Mads had spent his time in prison cell, though this had to be the most luxurious prison cell he ever had set his eyes on. But, the fact remained that he was still in prison. He wasn't free to walk around. He wasn't free to choose when to eat, smoke or anything else. He did, however, have a lot of free time, and so his mind lingered on a lot of different things. Sometimes his faith, other times what needed to be done, mostly... They fell on Tali.

Tali had an equally hard time. She had been made Admiral, and while she enjoyed holding this position, she found herself with a lot of responsibility. She wasn't used to it. Her mind would linger on Mads, perhaps even more than his would linger on her. She had lost contact with him, almost certainly because of an alliance ban on communication to him. She was worried.

She never knew a Quarian bond could be this strong, and that it could even work with a human. But, nothing about all of this was normal. Her heart ached for his, and she was certain the situation was the same with him. Her very soul was incomplete without him. But, she held out hope that they would be reunited soon enough. She had always believed him on the reaper ordeal, even though so many doubted him.

* * *

Conrad had a field day when he found out Mads had been locked up. No news outlet would shut up about it. It was impossible to wipe the smirk of his smug face that day. In his mind, Romanov deserved to be locked up, even though it was only for just a short while. That also meant that Conrad was able to focus on other matters.

His own criminal empire on Omega and the in the Terminus system was looking good. He had effectively killed off his completion with his tactical play. He enjoyed the monopoly he held, but he still shared it with Aria. Though their relationship was still kept hush-hush behind closed doors, they had begun to help each other out more as the months passed.

Though, it wasn't trouble free. Things had gone to shit some time ago. Aria lost her daughter, Liselle, to Cerberus no less. There were many factors involved in that killing, but Conrad swore to seek revenge on whoever hurt his lover like this. There were rumors, and Aria herself believed that Liselle's lover was the one who killed her. A certain Paul Johnson. But, different rumors were about, one said that Kai Leng was behind it.

Conrad certainly had enough to do. He wasn't about to lie down and rest. There was also the matter of a "Reaper Invasion" that Romanov had been preaching about. Conrad didn't believe it, but some in his crew did. Only time would tell if Romanov was right or not. He couldn't be bothered with rumors about a possible race of machines there to kill them.

Still, some part of him was compelling to start preparing. He would fool himself, saying it was for "Extra security measures." Though, that was a lie. Romanov always did have a way with words.

* * *

William was busy as well. He was sadden to hear of Romanov's imprisonment, but he was proud of him. Giving Cerberus the finger, stealing their ship and crew and living to tell about it? Not many people could do that. But, William knew, that with Romanov no longer with Cerberus, their little _truce_ was officially over. This meant that Outer Heaven could finally go back and do what they always should have done.

William believed in what Romanov said. He had never known the man to be a liar. He was fair and maybe a little unorthodox, but not crazy. That's why William did everything he could to prepare in whatever way was necessary. That didn't mean he stopped hitting Cerberus in raids, in fact, he doubled his efforts. His recruitment was also beginning to grow. He had a fleet of about 13 warships under him now. It wasn't nearly as much as Cerberus had, but it was enough to be a thorn in their side. As long as he was mobile and hit them in guerilla tactics, they would be fine. He knew how they operated.

Things were looking up. He had managed to get Miranda on his side. She had quit her job, and he helped her, as long as she helped him. Very few know of the affair they used to have in their time with Cerberus. William still didn't know if there ever were any feelings from her side. He knew that some feelings lingered within him still.

Still, Cerberus was hot on their tail, and her father was out to get her sister. They helped each other as much as they could. William thought he could see the tell-tale signs within her, that she might be interested in something a little more than... Letting off steam. But, he knew that he had things to attend to as well.

He had done business with Sergei the Merchant. A legend in arms smuggling now. He supplied just about everyone, and he was damn good at it. If you had the money, he had what you needed. No dumb questions asked, well, sometimes he did, but he didn't mean them. He was quite a likeable character, when he wasn't busy drinking. Man was as thirsty as a fish. No one knew much about him, but something must have happened in his life.

* * *

 **12/3/2186**

 **Vancouver, Canada.**

Mads knew nothing of what was happening outside. His only link was a lieutenant named James. Latino by the looks of it. He mostly treated Mads with respect, and Mads tolerated him. Mads even offered some small advice every now and then, because the young James seemed ambitious. He had strength, but Mads wasn't sure about tactical know-how. It was hard to tell nowadays.

The day started like any other. It was quiet, and the sun was shining like always. The coffee he was served always tasted awful, probably came from some discount coffee maker they found. But, it was still a luxury some other prisoners didn't get. He enjoyed and savored the moment. The fire detacher laid dismantled on the table by the window. Something he did every time he smoked. Simply because he couldn't be bothered to call on the guards every time he wanted to smoke.

Mads tried to get the zippo to work, but it was clear that he needed new lighter fluid, perhaps even a new wick. At least, after several tries, the lighter produced the desired flame. Mads took delight in the nicotine as it entered his system. Mads had nothing but time, and had spent most if it keeping himself in shape as much as possible.

Mads looked out over buildings in Vancouver. His _Prison cell_ was located quite a way up. He wasn't sure which floor it was on, but that didn't matter. The feeling he had this morning told him that it probably won't matter for much longer. Sure enough, James stepped, without knocking of course, and saluted Mads, like he always did.

"Captain?" James asked.

"The alliance reckons I'm not a captain anymore, James. I think it would be wise if you stood by those standards." Mads replied, keeping his eyes looked on the mountains in the distance.

"And you're not supposed to smoke in here." James wittily replied.

"And what will you do about it, lieutenant?" Mads asked, finally turning his eyes to James. He took another drag of his cigarette.

"Nothing at the moment. _They_ want to see you." James answered. Mads looked at James for a moment and look one last long drag of his cigarette, before putting it out in the make-shift ashtray, that used to be his bowl for his cereal.

"Guess I better not keep them waiting." Mads remarked. He hadn't shaved his beard since he was imprisoned, so he looked less than presentable to an alliance court.

"You know the drill." James said as he stepped forward to Mads. Mads held out his hands as James cuffed them. This back and forth was getting old, but they hadn't called for him since he was imprisoned, so he would guess that this was it.

James guided him with a hand on Mads' shoulder. Mads hummed silently as they walked through the corridors, that were unusually busy and full of people. It didn't take long before Mads spotted Anderson through the crowd.

"You're dismissed lieutenant. Come with me Romanov." Anderson ordered. James saluted Anderson before leaving. Mads was now guided by Anderson.

"It's good to see you again Anderson." Mads said.

"It's good to see you as well son." Anderson replied as they continued along.

"So, care to tell me what's going on?" Mads asked.

"Hackett issued the order to mobilize the fleet. Everyone is trying to get everything in order." Anderson answered.

"I see. So, is it finally happening?" Mads asked further, still being guided by Anderson's firm hand.

"We can't tell. I think it's too early to confirm." Anderson replied.

"We both know it is." Mads remarked.

"They are scared shitless, Romanov. All your reports are nothing but theory to them. If it is true, they need you." Anderson explained.

"Yes, no use for me until the shit really hits the fan." Mads said.

"Stop that. For all the shit you pulled, you should consider yourself lucky you got off that easily." Anderson reminded Mads.

"I guess that's the way it is." Mads replied.

"Come on now, we're not too far away." Anderson guided Mads forward. Anderson went in front to greet a few people, leaving Mads standing awkwardly in the middle of the room with his hands cuffed.

In the crowd ahead, Mads spotted a familiar face. One he wasn't certain he would ever see again. Kaiden Alenko, the name sounded so foreign when he heard Anderson said, especially with the added _'Major_ ' in front. It would seem Alenko hadn't been sitting on his ass for the past 6 months, unlike Mads.

"Captain?" Kaiden asked as he spotted Mads.

"Kaiden, I hear you have been promoted." Mads remarked. "Sorry, I'm out of the loop these days." Mads explained.

"Yes... I have been promoted-" He was about to go on, when Anderson interrupted him.

"What's going on up there?" Anderson asked.

"I'm not sure. It's hard to tell. They asked me to stand by for orders, and that's what I'm going to do." Kaiden replied.

"Understood-" Anderson said.

"Admiral!" One of the personal urged them to go on. Mads and Anderson left, with Kaiden giving Mads a nod on the way.

It was busy in the committee room as well. People were flying around, trying to get answers to something Mads consider already explained. Of course, no one wanted to believe him. They gathered up on their high table, looking down upon Mads and Anderson.

"Admiral Anderson, Romanov. We're glad you could make it." They greeted.

"What's the situation?" Anderson asked.

"We were hoping that Romanov could shed some light on it." They replied. "Reports are coming in... And it's unlike anything we have ever seen before. Colonies and outposts have gone dark. Pretty much everything beyond the sol relay has gone dark..." One of them explained.

"We have no clue what it is, but it is incomprehensible powerful." Another one added.

"You know what this means?" Mads asked, there was silence, and most eyes in the room were turned on him. "It means the reapers have come for us, it means our civilization will be harvested. But most of all-" Mads started. Now, he had everyone's undying attention.

"... It means I was right." Mads could see the fear upon their faces. They scrambled to do something, anything to fight back.

"What can we do?" One asked.

Mads hummed in response as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You should have prepared. I gave you 6 months. But, to survive this, we need to give it all we have. We stand together, firm and brave." Mads replied.

"Is that what you propose?" The other one asked in disbelief. Mads was ready to give back another answer, but he was cut off.

"-Admiral, we lost contact with the lunar base!" One said from the sideline.

"The moon? But how?" Anderson asked in disbelief.

"The U.K headquarters have visual!" One brought up the image on the screen, and Mads knew already. It was similar to the Geth attack on Eden Prime so long ago. They were being attacked, and it wouldn't be long before they arrived in Vancouver.

Mads began to softly hum to relax himself. Everyone was beginning to freak out, which was understandable in the given situation.

" _Ama-zing grace... How sweet the sound... That saved a wretch... Like me."_ No one knew what to do in that moment. Being caught unprepared was a real shitty situation to stand in.

 _"I once... Was lost... But now... I'm found."_ Reports were pouring in from all over Earth. It was true, and it was the most bitter thing Mads had ever known. He had been right, and we wished he hadn't been.

And then, they came. " _Was blind... But now... I see."_ They attacked Vancouver. Their laser beams shot straight through the glass, and they hit the room... Twice. Second time, Mads was knocked out. Blackness engulfed him.

* * *

Tali felt a strange feeling. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She knew right away that something was wrong. True enough, they got word soon after that earth had went dark. She knew Mads had been right, and now it was confirmed. She prayed for his safety, and hoped he would be alright.

Tali excused herself to her admiral office to deal with it. She knew deep down that he could handle it.

* * *

Mads came back into reality not long after. Smoke filled the room, the fire system tried fruitlessly to put out the fire. Mads was still cuffed as he came back into reality. He was not hurt, at least not in any critical way. Mads realized that he had to survive, and promptly did the only thing he could think off.

He had read it somewhere, long ago. If one was too dislocate his thumb, escape from handcuffs was possible. It was the only thing he could think about doing. So he did it. It hurt alright, but it actually worked. Mads managed to get his one hand free, and decided to let the cuffs hand from his right wrist... For now. He relocated the thumb on his left hand and slowly stood up.

The office was a mess, so many dead alliance officials. Mads checked for survivors, and found that most of them died in the blast. Some might argue they would be the luckiest ones, the ones who wouldn't have to fight this war... But Mads knew there was no such thing as lucky anymore. He heard some footsteps approach him, and he looked back and spotted Anderson in a ruined alliance uniform.

"You okay son?" Anderson asked.

"It would have been nice if you uncuffed me before putting me in here. I had to dislocate my thumb." Mads replied with a sigh.

"Yeah, but at least you know how to escape handcuffs in the future." Anderson joked, and Mads' face formed a smile, even if it wasn't the right time or place.

"We have to get out of here. I ordered the Normandy ready before the attack, so let's hope they are ready." Anderson said as he tossed Mads a firearm. It was a standard alliance pistol, nothing fancy. Mads just hoped to God his weapons was on the Normandy.

Anderson barked some orders to Kaiden. He hoped they would be able to meet at the rendezvous point. The city was falling apart, the reapers had showed up in force, and it was clear that this would be no normal enemy. There would be no easy victory, sacrifices had to be made. This was clear, and quite frustrating.

They began to make their way out. They had to use a... _Creative_ exit, since the normal one had been shot to hell. They exposed themselves by taking the rooftops, but they really didn't have much of a choice in the matter. They had to get where they were going, and they had to move fast.

Husks were filling the scene, and not the normal human kind... No, these seemed different. 4 eyes were the dead giveaway. These were the Batarians who died. No doubt the reapers had them doing their bidding now. It was a sad fate, even one Mads wouldn't wish upon anyone, even the Batarians. There was no way to help them, only thing left to do was move on. They had get where they were going, and that meant scaling and climbing through all the buildings on the way.

Mads had never seen a city turn into rubble as fast as this. The reapers knew what they were doing, and Mads hated to grant credit to them. Still, he knew his purpose. No time for weeping for souls already lost. They went down to the waterfront, and they saw it all clearly from here. Half the city was either burning, or it was in ruins. Rebuilding would not be easy.

The signal was weak, and Mads and Anderson hoped that the radio down the by crashed shuttle would work. Some poor alliance soldiers were struggling to stay alive, one of them wounded. Anderson tried to care for the wounded soldier as best he got, all while trying to get the damn radio to work.

Those Batarian husks began to pour in. A full on assault on their position. Mads picked up an assault rifle and began to defend their situation. Two things were clear in that moment. One: He hadn't used a rifle with a thermal clip in. And second, he was out of shape with his marksmanship. Still, he made do... For now.

They kept coming, not stopping for one second. Mads tried, he really did. But, the numbers were clearly outnumbering the bullets in his clip. "Anderson, I could use some back up!" Mads requested as he kept firing.

As if a prayer answered, the Normandy came flying. It cleared them all out in no time. Hellfire raining down from above. Mads looked up with a smile as it flew by. The Normandy saved the day once again. Mads knew they had to board it. It was a matter of regrouping and organizing. Mads and Anderson rushed to the Normandy.

It had landed on a small rise, where rubble had been piled together. Mads stood upon the loading platform of the Normandy, when he noticed Anderson hadn't followed him.

"What the hell are you waiting for? Let's go!" Mads urged.

"I can't. I have to stay. You know that." Anderson replied.

"Then I stay as well." Mads remarked as he began to walk down.

"You can't. I need you out there." Anderson ordered.

"This is _my_ home too! I was born here!" Mads fired back.

"I know, but you are more useful out there than back here." Anderson explained. Mads knew he was right, but it felt like betrayal to Mads. To leave it all behind, while it was still burning none-the-less.

Anderson dug out something in his pocket. It was Mads' dog tags, Mads had no idea where he got it, and why he was carrying it around. But Mads caught it in mid-air as inspected it.

"Welcome back... _Captain._ " Anderson smiled. Mads nodded at him. So, that was it? Just like that, he was back.

"Be safe. I'll bring back everything I can." Mads replied.

"I know you will. God speed Mads." Anderson said he began to walk further away. "Now, GO!" He ordered and Mads took the order.


	57. Chapter 56: Mars

_**1 2/3/2186**_

 **Normandy, In Earth's orbit.**

Leaving Earth in its most terrible moment was along the hardest things Mads had ever done in his life. It was one of the things he regretted. But, he knew Anderson was right. There was only so much he could do on earth, compared to what he could do in making sure everyone got their shit together in the wider galaxy.

No doubt the reapers had made a coordinated attack, denying the different races the ability to band together. It was about survival now, and that was really ironic considering that the only way they would survive was by coming together and working as a team. The sorry excuse for soldiers on board were having quite a hard time dealing with it, some were taking it okay. Most were in shock, and to be honest, that was understandable in every way.

"This is bullshit! We can't leave!" James had somehow gotten on board as well. Mads wasn't sure if that was intentional or not, but he couldn't be picky about his staff at that moment.

"Where the hell are you going Captain? The fight is back there." James pressed the issue.

"Shut, the, fuck, up." Mads put pressure on each word. "Don't think for a fucking second I don't care about what is happening. That is my home too, and I'll fight to death for it." Mads replied in an angry tone as he pointed his finger at him.

"Then why the FUCK are we leaving the fight?" James asked.

"Because we need allies, and I'm going to get them. Do I need to make it more simple for dumbass?" Mads' tone was as mocking as it was serious. James was about to speak up again, when Joker voice could be heard over the comms.

"Captain? Congratulation on the rehiring and all that, but Admiral Hackett would like a word with you."

"Got it Joker. Put him through." Mads replied. "And James, we will talk in detail about this later." Mads added. James had an angry look on his face as he stepped away. No doubt to mumble curses under his breath. Mads quickly went to the terminal in the hanger bay and awaited Hackett's hologram.

When it finally came through, it was clear that there was some sort of interference in the call. Hackett's voice cut off now and then, and his hologram couldn't display properly. "Captain – Manov – Good to – ou again." It started.

"Same to you Hackett. How can I help you with?" Mads asked.

"We have – heavy losses – force is – can't defeat -" The transmission was bad to say the least.

"Anderson has ordered me to the citadel. We will find help there….. Hopefully." Mads replied.

"Before – We need you – Mars outpost – Other we – lose the system -"

"Understood sir, we'll be heading there now."

"We – researching the archives – Dr. Tsoni – A way to defe – reapers – only way – stay in – tact – Hackett out."

"Joker! You heard that?" Mads asked.

"Loud and clear Captain. I have set the course for the Mars archives." Joker replied over the comms. Mads began to make his way over to the armory in the corner of the hanger bay. To his delight, his weapons and armor was there. At least the alliance had kept it there.

"This is goddamn loco!" James remarked.

"Mars? What the hell are we supposed to find there?" Kaiden asked. Mads hadn't seen Kaiden on board, but it was nice knowing he was there. Even if he didn't fully trust his old Captain yet.

"Good fucking question. But I'll take whatever can aid us in this war. Hackett says he has a means of stopping them, I think it's worth checking out." Mads replied as he began to equip his old armor. "Better suit up." Mads ordered as he snapped his belt in place.

* * *

They had all jumped on the shuttle once they were within reach of the archives. Joker had tried his best to get in contact with the people there, but the base was not answering. Though it appeared online, Mads couldn't help but feel that something must be off. He figured he would be likely to see combat again there. Though there was no telling at this point. Better safe than sorry. James piloted the shuttle, and Kaiden was busy double checking his weapons and armor for any faults. He too must be nervous. It had been so long since he had last seen Kaiden, and he wondered what might have changed since then.

Mads had never actually been to the Mars archives. He never had the time or the proper clearance to be there. It was not actually open to the public. He had not, however, expected this to be his first time. And he would imagine that it would be quite a different experience than the normal tour guides. Everything looked normal from above, but things have a habit of changing for the worse when you get closer.

And worse it did get. The facility was dark, and they still couldn't raise anyone. A storm was already brewing in the distance, and would likely catch up at any moment. They had to move fast, getting stuck in a storm was less than ideal. When the door finally opened, and the sun blinded Mads for a moment, he saw the base in all its glory.

The rock cracked beneath his boots as he began to move along. James and Kaiden were not far behind. "Keep up and stick together." Mads ordered. He was given affirmative in response from both of them. They didn't have to walk very far before gunshots were heard, it came from just up ahead.

"Holy shit! That's a fucking firing squad." James remarked in horror as they saw the scene in front of them. The enemies hadn't noticed them yet, and Mads made gestures to his squad to tell them to get in position. "Pick your target and fire on my signal." Mads ordered. They both went to separate covers.

The pricks didn't know they were there, and Mads hoped to get the drop on them in the regard. "Fire!" Mads yelled and they all opened fire. It took a few seconds for the soldiers to notice where the fire was coming from. By the time they figured it out, half of them were already dead.

They returned fire, but Mads, Kaiden and James had to advantage of cover. There pricks probably had their own head up their ass and thought no one else was coming for them. Standing out in the open like mindless idiots. They fell as Mads, Kaiden and James moved closer. But it only revealed something more ugly.

There was no mistaking that mark on the military rover. This was Cerberus, and no doubt they were here for the same thing they were. They seemed like this bad cold you couldn't get away from.

"Are these guys Cerberus?" James asked confused as he eyed the mark.

"It sure does look like it. Jesus fucking Christ." Mads replied.

"What are they doing here?" Kaiden asked.

"How the fuck should I know?" Mads asked back.

"You were with them." Kaiden stated.

"And I'm not anymore. Where the fuck are you going with this?" Mads asked.

"I don't know. But it seems awfully convenient that they show up here." Kaiden remarked. Mads decided to save the argument for later when they were in the clear.

They moved further, and saw more rovers parked outside the entrance. "Doesn't seem like they came in force." James observed.

"No, and that might mean they had help from the inside." Kaiden added.

"It's possible." Mads said. The air was so thick with tension between them. They could almost barely tolerate each other at this point. They entered the decompression room to enter the facility. Mads hit the button and waited for the oxygen to refill the room and the pressure to be stabilized.

"Romanov, I need you to be honest with me right now." Kaiden demanded as he approached Mads as the air was flowing back in.

"About what?" Mads asked back. He knew, but he needed to hear it from Kaiden.

"Cerberus. What the fuck are they doing here? How am I not supposed to ask when you were with them" Kaiden asked bluntly.

"Kaiden you motherfucker. Let me tell you something, I broke ties with Cerberus after destroying the collector base. I AM NOT in the mood for this talk. You're trying to be someone new, someone I can't recognize, and it pisses me off. I USED to think of you as a brother, and you have the nerve to accuse me of collaborating with the enemy? I spent the last SIX MONTHS atoning for my actions, and I had NO FUCKING contact with Cerberus during that time, in fact, I had no contact with ANYONE." Mads ranted.

"It's true, the captain has been under surveillance ever since his trial. There is no way in hell Cerberus could have contacted him. We would have known." James came to Mads' defense.

"Well…. I guess - … I'm sorry." Kaiden remarked.

"Don't bring it up again, Kaiden. I'd rather not explain what every idiot could figure out." Mads said as he removed his helmet. The oxygen was back, but there was no telling if that would continue to be the case for what was ahead.

The doors opened, and it revealed a cargo area. It was filled with resources that was probably used for the maintenance of the base. They didn't get very far before they heard a rattling coming from the vents above. Mads silent gestures for them to be ready for a fight. They awaited whoever it was to spring from the vents.

Mads hadn't expected the person who jumped from the vent, well that wasn't true, Hackett had informed him that she was there, but Mads had expected Liara to have more grace than to crawl through vents. Though, this situation didn't allow for personal preference for any of them. Liara flexed her biotic muscles and sent the Cerberus soldiers, that were following here, flying.

Liara finished off the remaining soldiers still alive with a few shots from her pistol. Her expression was cold and unreadable in that moment. But she was a needed ally in this fight, and Mads hoped she still had the resources of the Shadow Broker.

"Liara! Good to see you!" Mads greeted as he stood up from cover and walked towards her.

"Romanov. Thank Goddess you are alive, and free." Liara replied.

"So am I." Mads remarked.

"I heard about earth….. I'm sorry." She said.

"Yeah, well- … Me too," Mads added.

"Leaving was less than ideal for my soul….." Kaiden said.

"Kaiden, I'm sorry…." Liara started, but changed subject. "But… Why did you come here?" She asked.

"Hackett ordered us to. Said you might have an ace in the hole for us….. Or something that could at least aid us." Mads answered.

"I do believe so." Liara began to walk towards the window. Mads could see that James was close to falling to his knees to thank the Lord. "We discovered plans for a Prothean device….. If my theory is true, then it could destroy the reapers." Liara finished.

"Plans? Here on Mars?" Mads asked confused, how come they were never found before? Or were they just ignored? How big is this place?

Liara explained the circumstances involved. The hows and whys made a little sense, but not much. At least Liara was using her powers as the Shadow broker for the common good. She explained what she thought it was, and while it seemed like a long shot, they could use the good news….. Everyone could. The only challenge was Cerberus, and they were quite the challenge.

They were fast approaching, and Mads had to make sure their exit was covered. James was sent away, to his disapproval.

Mads had never truly faced the Cerberus forces before…. Well, he had, but that was over two…. No, three years ago and they had probably changed since then a lot since then, if their armor was any indication in the matter.

Cerberus had not fought these people. They had massacred them in the most brutal way. That's why Mads had no problem cracking their skulls. There were quite a few of them, even though they did not show up in full force. Still, they would have needed a lot more to do this job. Kaiden's theory seemed more and more likely with each passing second.

Mads tried to unlock the path before them, and Liara attempt to uncover what had happened that morning on the Mars base. None of them were successful. A vid showed a strange woman, and Kaiden asked who it was. Dr. Eva Core, which was a recent addition to the crew working on Mars. Mads stored that information in the back of his head, it might become useful later.

Liara spoke about the construction happening outside, that could be a possible path. Considering their current options, they went for it. It was already a race against time. They equipped their helmet and braced themselves for the strong winds outside. The storm was getting closer, and it only meant that time was running out. It also meant that getting in contact with both the Normandy and James was getting harder.

The room they came to painted a gruesome picture. The room had been vented while the staff was still inside. It was clear to Mads that there was a mole in the system, and that Cerberus was truly beginning to show their true colors. As they moved through the dark room, they came down to some windows. Mads could see Cerberus troops behind them, and realized they couldn't see them. Mads gave the order to open fire, and quickly took down the lot of them.

The security booth up ahead gave some answers to questions that had lingered in their minds. Dr. Eve really was the mule.

"I should have realized it! If only I wasn't so focused on finding a way to stop the reapers!" Liara blamed herself for the countless death that happened today.

"There was no way you could have known. Only thing to do is set things right." Mads replied as he took off his helmet. The room had been pressurized again.

"But what if there is no way to stop the reapers?" Liara asked.

"It's worth a shot. I'd take whatever aid I can get my hands on, and I'll die before surrendering." Mads said.

"Your belief speaks volumes Captain." Liara remarked. They knew they had to get going before it was too late. They pushed forward, slowly but surely. There were more than enough foot soldiers to match them every part of the way.

They had even turned the base's security system against them, and it was annoying. They had to avoid a giant turret to proceed, which meant leaping from cover to cover in the hopes it didn't shoot them while moving. It didn't help that as soon as they were in the clear of the turret, Cerberus soldiers rushed out of the control room.

It took some time, but the feel like the brethren. Now, they were faced with the issue of getting the tram across so they could proceed. Liara tried her best to get the system back online and working, but nothing seemed like it would work at that moment. Kaiden, however, found something.

"Hey captain! Come take a look!" Kaiden yelled. Mads went over to see what has going on. Kaiden was checking a Cerberus soldier's body.

"What's going on?" Mads asked.

"I think he's helmet has a transmitter-" Kaiden was about to continue when he got the mask to open up, and revealed something quite horror like.

"Holy shit, he looks like a husk!" Kaiden observed.

"Well I'll be damned. Is this what Cerberus is up to?" Mads asked, mostly to himself.

"How do we know if Cerberus haven't pulled a similar trick on you?" Kaiden asked, that disapproval was back in his voice.

"Do I look like a fucking husk?" Mads asked back.

"Well no, but they could be controlling you in other ways." Kaiden replied.

"Listen here you selfish prick. I have gone to hell and back for the good of all people. I have saved your sorry ass more times than I can count, and you still doubt me. Listen, nothing I say or do will convince that I am the same." Mads ranted.

"You're- You're right. Best to move on then." Kaiden admitted.

"Agreed." Mads replied and took the transmitter into his hand. He hoped Cerberus would buy it. He made up the team name and hoped it was good enough. It would seem they did indeed buy it. Mads ordered Liara and Kaiden into position to await their guests and give them a warm welcome. The Cerberus team had no fucking clue as they pulled up to the station.

They met their maker, and Mads, Kaiden and Liara qucikly jumped upon the tram to get to the other side. But the Cerberus bastard got them good. They had placed some explosives on the tram line, effectively immobilizing them. Good thing Cerberus tried to clear them out, which gave them a new tram to work with.

They pulled into the station, and credit where credit is due, these soldiers put up a good fight. They had top notch gear, which the alliance could learn a thing or two from. It was with slow steps they proceed, since the soldiers came flooding out in a last attempt to stop them.

When the room was cleared, they entered the main hub. This was it, the place the plans were stored. It was an amazing sight, but clearly they weren't there to admire the view. There was more pressing issues. Mads made them split up to find more information and get what they came fore. Liara quickly got to work.

As Liara began, a hologram appeared. The man of the fucking hour was there. The Illusive man himself, or should we say, Jack Harper?

"Captain Romanov. What a pleasant surprise." The illusive man began.

"Well, look who it is." Mads remarked.

"The protheans are so enriching to study. They left all of this, and yet the alliance has done nothing with it." The Illusive man said.

"Cut the shit and get to the point." Mads said.

"This data holds the key to ending the reaper threat. We have to get control, control of the very threat."

"You want control of the reapers? You are as crazy as ever."

"And you are as short sighted as ever. You made a fool out of me, Captain. If you continue down this path, bad things will happen. To repay you for what you did, I shall reveal a little about you to the wider galaxy." The Illusive man responded.

"Fuck you!" Mads snapped.

The illusive man disappeared with a smile on his face. Cheeky fucker. Liara quickly discovered that the data was gone, and Mads was almost sent into a wave of panic at that mention. Kaiden found the mule, and tried to take her down. Only to be knocked down himself.

"She's got the data!" He yelled, and Mads' eyes quickly snapped to the running woman. He began to sprint after her. Mads kept firing at her as he ran, but she seemed damn near immortal. Didn't matter, he hadn't met an enemy he couldn't kill so far.

Cerberus was giving air support, and Mads had a hard time keeping himself in one piece as he ran after the doctor. With each passing second, his desire to rip his head off grew. Mads tried his best to get in contact with James, but the signal was still very weak.

A shuttle came to pick up the doctor, and Mads was losing hope as he saw her jump on the vessel. "FUCK! James? Joker? DOES ANYONE READ ME?" Mads yelled into his ear piece. Mads had never dodged a panic attack as fast as when he saw James in the shuttle flying at high speed towards the Cerberus shuttle. James crashed into it, and it was clear that the shuttle wasn't going anywhere. James landed as Mads tried to get back on his feet.

Mads quickly checked if everyone was alright, and attempted to guide James into landing. As James landed, Kaiden got Liara back to the shuttle. There was a banging on the doors, and Kaiden looked to see a very much alive Dr. Eva. She was no human, it was a damn robot. Kaiden tried his best to take it down, but it was fruitless. The machine grabbed Kaiden by his helmet and lifted him up.

"LET HIM GO!" Mads yelled as he pointed his magnum at the machine. It then began to bang Kaiden's head against the metal of the downed shuttle. Mads began to fire his magnum at the machine, hoping to God that Kaiden wasn't dead.

The machine snapped it's eyes to Mads once Kaiden had stopped moving. Mads fired off all the rounds in his chamber, and it wasn't until the very last one the machine finally fell. Mads quickly rushed to the aid of Kaiden. This was not how he thought it was going to go. Mads checked for a pulse, and was relieved to find one.

"Take the machine with us!" Mads ordered. He hoped that they might be able to get the data from it. Mads swung Kaiden over his shoulder and brought him to the shuttle. This war was truly on, and Mads hoped to God that Kaiden would live to fight with them.


	58. Chapter 57 Bad luck and a worse headache

**A /** **N:** **Hey fellas! I hope y** **'all had a good new year and that 2019 will treat you well! I have been planned to re write some of my early chapter, but let's see what happens.**

* * *

"….Uploading 'ROM_ 4'... Please stand by….

…..Upload complete."

The illusive man smirked as the display showed the files being uploaded to all major news cooperations. This should throw Mads off, at least for some times. If nothing else, discredit him. Nothing worse than a dishonest soldier. It didn't take long for the videos and documents to get millions of views.

* * *

 **13/3/2186**

 **Normandy, on route to the citadel.**

Mads had yet to take his eyes of Kaiden. It looked bad, his entire face was bruised. Mads kept making sure Kaiden was breathing, but he was no medical expert by any means. There could be so much wrong. There was no telling if Kaiden had suffered internal injuries… Or something else.

"Stay strong my friend. We'll get you sorted." Mads reassured Kaiden. Even though he knew that Kaiden couldn't hear him. It felt like the right thing to do either way. Liara had stressed that they needed to go to the citadel.

Mads had ordered Joker to do as much. Not only would Kaiden get his medical help there, but they could focus on the help earth needed so desperately in these hours. These hours seemed so stressed for Mads. The things that happened in such a short time… It was maddening to think about. It was surreal. Mads knew in his heart that he had always been right… But now, he wished he hadn't been.

"Captain!" Liara shouted as she ran into the medical bay. Mads quickly turned his attention over to her.

"What?" Mads asked. His voice a bit weak after all the shit that's been happening.

"You need to see this." Liara said.

"Can it wait?" Mads asked while rubbing one his eyes.

"No, it can't." Liara replied hastily. Mads was confused, but decided it must be important. Mads followed her back into her room. He wondered what could be so important. Liara sat down by her terminal and typed in a few commands. A news broadcast appeared. Mads was in shock over the title shown at the bottom.

"Captain Romanov EXPOSED! New leaked files show the captain ALIVE 169 years ago!" Mads could hardly believe the Illusive man had followed up on his threat. This was serious. It could ruin him. It could very well take away everything.

Mads remembered the videos he shot back then. It was with a body cam, a small piece. It was a bet between him and Victor. He used to joke that Mads would become youtube famous. Well… In the end, Mads owned Victor those 20 bucks. Mads became more than youtube famous. But it wasn't just videos, it was service records, pictures, birth certificate, everything.

Mads just observed what happened on the screens. Liara was quiet as well. She knew of course. She had found out long ago, and if nothing else, she would have had access to even more information about him as the shadow broker. But that didn't matter anymore. Everyone knew now. Question was: What was going to happen now?

"Excuse me…. I have to go to my quarters… I have to-…. Think….." Mads finally said. Liara tried to stop him, but it was fruitless. Mads could have sworn people turned to look at him. Some had a look on confusion on their faces, some had a rather sympathetic look. Mads stormed into his cabin and quickly checked the liquor cabinet for anything. But he came up empty handed. Instead, he settled on taking the ashtray with him to the sofa.

Too many things went through Mads' head as he sat there. A sorry excuse for a human that had lied his way through his latter part of life. He didn't even have the guts to check the extranet for what people had to say. The only thing he wanted in that moment was Tali's guidance. She would know what to do. She had been in hot water before, but she had dodged a few bullets as well.

He felt so lost without her, it was almost maddening. He imagine her in his head telling him to get over it. Telling him he was better than this. Of course she would, she was supportive like that. As Mads sat deep in thought, he was pulled back into reality by the sound of the comms activating.

"Captain?" It was Joker.

"What is it?" Mads asked as he rubbed his temples.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I had no idea." He said, surprisingly sympathetic for someone who has the nickname 'Joker'.

"Yeah…" Mads replied.

"I assure you. The Normandy still has your back. I think the Alliance is under more fire than you are." Joker added.

"That's the last thing they need right now. It's the last thing any of us need." Mads remarked.

"That's true. But you can use this to your advantage….. Somehow. Anyway, we'll be at the citadel within 5 hours. Sit tight." Joker explained.

"Thanks Joker." Mads said.

* * *

Mads went along with the medical team getting Kaiden to the huerta memorial hospital. It didn't take long before he was cornered by journalists asking a thousand questions a minute. Liara had managed she would try to warm up to the council while Mads would try to make sure Kaiden was secure.

"Romanov! Do you have any comments on the leak?!"

"Captain, what have been the biggest shock since you woke up?"

"What are your thoughts on the program you were volunteered for?"

"NO COMMENTS!" Mads yelled as he pushed through them. He certainly didn't have time for that shit at the moment. They all tried to follow him, but he fast enough to lose them by catching an elevator just in time.

The other people in the elevator looked strangely at him. Mads straighten himself out and dusted off his shoulders. "Mr. Romanov?" A woman asked. Mads turned around.

"huh?"

"I just wanted to say... You done a lot for us. I never doubted you. Only someone as strong as you can survive this. You have my sympathy for what happened to you." She replied.

"Thanks, I think I needed that." Mads replied with a smile. The elevator dinged as it reached the hospital. "Gotta go! Stay safe!" Mads yelled back into the elevator.

The hospital wasn't overly crowded at the moment he entered. A few alliance personal was there as patients. Probably injured either on earth or one of the colonies. Mads walked up to the counter and asked for the directions to Kaiden's room. He quickly got it. But, before he could head there, he noticed Dr. Chakwas standing in the corner talking to someone.

Mads decided to quickly run by her. See what she was up to. She was even to talking to a familiar face. Dr. Chloe Michel had been the doctor he and Garrus saved three years ago... Was it really three years ago? Time didn't have any meaning anymore.

"Dr. Chakwas!" Mads called out as he came up to them. "And Dr. Michel. What a surprise."

"Good afternoon, Captain. How are you?" Dr. Michel asked.

"Less than ideal I'm afraid." Mads replied in a bit of a weak voice.

"Yes, I heard about the leaked files. For what's it's worth, I'm sorry." She said.

"Thanks. Now it remains to be seen if it ruins my career or not." Mads half joke. He knew it was a serious matter.

A message beeped on Michel's omni-tool and she excused herself away. Mads turned his attention to Chakwas. "How is he?" Mads asked.

"He is a stable condition. I don't think there is any reason for worry. But... He'll be out of service for a while. The real question here is: How are you?" Chakwas asked back.

Mads sat down on the bench nearby. "I don't know. I spent years hiding who I was, because I wanted to forget. I wanted to forget the man I used to be. I wanted to forget the people I let down. Now, all I get is... 'I'm sorry' from everyone I met. The Media is all over my ass and I'm sure people don't trust me anymore." Mads rambled on.

"Captain. I knew there was something different about you the day you stepped into my office for the first time. Regardless of what happened to you, you did more than most. You stepped up when the situation called for it. You defended and warned people. I don't think people distrust you. In fact, I think they might understand your plight more now." Chakwas explained.

"Maybe you're right... Who knows. But... What are you up to?" Mads asked.

"I'm currently stationed here. I was on Mars for a while, but I got out before... Before whatever happened there. But...-"

"But what?"

"I would like to get back to the Normandy."

Mads thought about that for a moment. He would love to have Chakwas back on the Normandy, but he didn't know if he could override whoever ordered her to be here on the citadel. No matter, he would try.

"I think you belong on the Normandy, don't you Doctor?" Mads asked.

"I would say so." Chakwas smiled.

"Then I'll take it up with the alliance officials. You have been there since the beginning." Mads reassured her.

"Thank you captain. I'll gather my stuff." She said.

"See you." Mads replied. He got up and watched Chakwas leave. "Oh Chakwas!" Mads called out quickly. She turned around.

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't be any chance... Have heard anything from Tali?" Mads asked hopefully. Chakwas had a visable smile on her face as she answered.

"I'm afraid not. She went back to the fleet. Why?" She asked back.

"It's just... I haven't heard anything..." Mads replied.

"I'm certain she'll contact you as soon as she can." Chakwas reassured him.

"Thank you. See you on the Normandy." Mads added. She nodded and went off. Mads let out a sigh and gathered up the strength to go see Kaiden.

Several doctors and nurses were tending to Kaiden. He looked like a man that had been through hell and back. "What's the situation, doc?" Mads asked.

The doctor began a long list of medical terms on Kaiden's injuries. Most of the words were beyond Mads' understanding of medical science. It was never really a topic he found interesting.

"Quit the 5 dollar words and just tell me if he will be fine." Mads finally said. The doctor looked almost offended at the statement.

"The major suffered serious injuries, but he is not in the danger zone as of now. Our scans indicate he will be fine in a few weeks' time." The doctor replied.

"Mind giving me a minute with him?" Mads asked.

"Sure? Why not." The doctor sounded sarcastic in his choice of words, but he left all the same.

"Prick." Mads muttered under his breath as the door closed. Mads sat down beside Kaiden. If one looked past all the bruises, the major almost looked at peace.

"I know things have been tough Kaiden. Believe me when I understand your viewpoint." Mads started. He was well aware the major couldn't hear him, but it felt good to say it none-the-less.

"I guess I'm not that good with words... Never have been. But, I want you to know that I love you as a brother. You were a friend when I first boarded the Normandy 3 years ago. You stood by me, even when we had to get creative and sneak our way out of the citadel. When Ashley died... When she died, we had each other... What I'm trying to say is... Please stay strong. We need you. More than you know." Mads felt good getting it off his chest, even if Kaiden would never hear it.

Mads got a text from Liara. He needed to make his way to the council. Now, it was time to sort this shit out. But, if he knew the council right, they wouldn't give him a fucking inch, even if he begged for it.

* * *

"Earth was attacked! By all reports, it faced the blunt of the attack!" Udina had liad out his position was the very start. He was finally where he wanted to be, in the councilor's shoes. Anderson had quit just as soon as a position as Admiral waited for him.

"By your reports..." The Salarian councilor clarified.

"It's true. I was there. Earth was attack, by the reapers! We neck deep in shit, and we need help." Mads replied.

"Earth is not the only place in a dire position. The reapers pressing upon our borders as well. If we lend you support of our navy and army, our own worlds would fall." The Asari councilor remarked.

"Even if we were to unite the fleets. Do you really believe we have a chance?" The Turian councilor asked.

"I may have something of interest that can change the tides. Our... 'Ace in the hole' so to speak. Liara, show them." Mads gestured for Liara to take the floor.

Liara began explaining what they had found. The councilors seemed to not fully buy it. But in this hour, this was their best chance. One thing was what good it did the Protheans, and another was the scale.

"I spoke with Hackett. He agreed to have the remains of the human fleet begin gathering resources and begin building. But, even with the humans hard at work, we still need to stand together on this issue." Mads explained.

"Look, Udina and I are far from good mates. But, I know that for us to win this war, we need to put our differences behind us and work together. Otherwise... We'll just be dead men walking." The councilors looked at each other for a moment. Silently agreeing on what to do. It was the Asari councilor that spoke up.

"We find this regrettable, but the cruel truth is that: While the reapers are focusing on earth, we may regroup and plan."

"We are preparing for a summit along our species. If we can secure our own borders, we can look towards considering aiding the human plight." The Salarian councilor added.

It was quiet for a while. They looked at each other. "Sorry, Captain. It's the best we can do." The Asari councilor finished.

Udina had his head buried in his hands. "Romanov. Please, meet me in my office." Mads nodded at his request.

"Well, that went as well as could be expected. I'll continue digging up what I can on this prothean device through my connections." Liara remarked.

"The council got a lot of talk and some nice suits! But this? I can't fucking believe it." Mads said. "Excuse me Liara. I have to speak with mr. Power hungry." Mads said as he left Liara.

* * *

"Well, I guess we are fucked." Mads remarked as he sat down in one of the chairs in the office.

"I can't believe it. Even though Humanity has a seat on the council, it will never mean anything. They are all running scared." Udiana added.

"I guess that's the way it is." Mads said with a sigh.

"They are protected their own interest. We can't eve-" Udiana had started, but was interrupted by the Turian councilor.

"We are indeed looking out for our own people." He said.

"Councilor Sparatus. I bet you feel like a grade A idiot right about now." Mads replied.

"Look, Captain. I know we don't see eye to eye on most things. But, here is an offer. I can't give you what you want, but I can tell you of a way to get it." Sparatus answered.

"Go on." Mads said.

"Our Primach, Fedorian, called for the war summit. But, we lost contact with him when the Reapers attacked Palaven. He is at the very center of these meetings. If we don't get him back, they won't proceed. I understand that the Normandy is one of the few ships that can get the Primach out safe."

"Is this helps me how?"

"I know you are skeptical, but hear me out. As the primach is one of the pillars of the summit, he will be a leading voice in deciding where the fleet shall fight, and with whom. He would be a useful ally in your bid to unite us all."

"Well shit, and I should be a politician? That's pie in the sky."

"If it gets you what you need, I would expect you to be whoever you have to be. Our latest intelligence reports that he was moved to a base on the Palaven's largest moon. This is everything I can do, the rest falls on you." Sparatus began to leave, but stopped just before heading out.

"Oh, and before I forget. The council has renewed your spectre status. Every right and privlige should be at your hand again. Good luck" And with that, the Turian councilor left.

"I guess it's better than nothing." Mads remarked.

"It's not too much. I'll talk to the others in the meantime, see what I can do to support this summit." Udina replied.

"That shouldn't be too hard. Every idiot can see which way the wind is blowing." Mads said. "I'll prepare the Normandy. Good day Councilor." Mads said as a final note and left.


	59. Chapter 58: Palaven part 1

**As I said before, I have rewritten the first 10 chapters of this story. That will be my excuse for being late.**

 **Hey fellas, once again I'll like to take a moment to promote my own discord server. If you feel like you want to discuss things with me, or with others, please do come.** **discord .gg / F578759**

* * *

 _Mads was fumbling with his camera inside the rover. He was adjusting the settings, and clearly hadn't noticed that it was already on. The footage was aged, a bit damaged even, but it was clear who was who._

 _"Oh shit, is it on?" Mads asked. "Well... Hello, and erh... Welcome? To the 7th installment of my miniseries... At least I think it is the 7th. Haven't updated in a while" Mads confessed. "We are currently 12 KM away from what is the de-facto border with ISIS. Today is-" Mads looked down at his watch. "-20th of February, 2017. Temperature is... 17 degrees." Mads informed as he leaned back in his seat._

 _"There is a small town about 14 kilometers to the east from here. Current orders are to secure it, so that's what we will be doing today." Mads explained as he took out his pack of cigarettes and zippo lighter. He fumbled with his lighter and tried his best to light the cigarette. "Fucking great, no juice." Mads remarked as he gave up, and resorted to his back up._

The video cuts to another scene. This time, it's the bodycam, showing Mads' POV. From the looks of it, they are clearing out a village, making rounds.

 _"Remember to be careful." Mads ordered. The whole place was a mess, and had been so for some time. Most of the terrorists had attempted to leave it a wreck, so that nothing could be salvaged. A terrible smell haunted the small village, and the platoon was hard at work trying to locate it. They did find it. It was a ditch, with the rotting bodies of most of the inhabitants of the small village. They had been burned as well, probably in an attempt to cover it up._

 _"Dear fucking god." Mads said as he squatted down. Most of the soldiers were speechless. Mads then went on to report it, doing a headcount of the dead, which quickly came up to over 200 poor souls. Pretty much everyone that had lived there._

 _Next up, they moved through the villages. Mostly to see if anyone had survived, if there was anything to be found. A sand storm was picking up, dust flying around them, making it harder and harder to see. One of the soldiers called out, a soldier by the name of Boris, that he had found something._

 _"Be fucking careful Boris." Mads ordered worryingly, there was no telling what could happen._

 _"It's a woman and two kids. Look at them Romanov, they are traumatized. They won't hurt anyone." Boris said as he guided them outside of the house. Mads ordered most of the others to continue their search around the small village._

 _"Look, she poses no threat. I'd even wager that-" Before Boris could finish his sentence, a knife entered his guts. The woman had pulled out a concealed knife, and taken it upon herself to kill as many of these invaders as possible. Boris screamed as she kept stabbing him, Mads just stood there, shocked by what he saw. By the time he snapped back into it, Boris was as good as dead. Mads put in bullet in the woman's head. The kids almost looked like stone statues, no emotions on their faces as, what Mads presumed to be, their mother died._

 _"No no no." Mads tried his best to stop the bleeding, but there was close to 7 different entry points scattered across Boris' stomach and chest. He was coughing up blood, and losing it at an alarming rate. "We got you, you'll be alright." Mads reassured him._

 _"I-I-I'm sor-Sorry... I should have-" He grunted in pain as Mads kept trying to save him. The medic was on his way. "-I should have listened... I'm sorry.."_

 _"Don't worry about that. Just focus on staying alive, got it?" Mads asked and tried his best to keep his voice calm._

 _The last bit of the video shows the life draining out of Boris' eyes. His body goes limp, and Mads trying his best to get him back to the land of the living. The video cuts after a few moments to darkness._

* * *

 **14/3/2186**

 **Citadel**

Mads knocked on the door to the warehouse. A few seconds went by, before a small hole in the door was opened. Mads could see a pair of blue eyes on the other side. The hole closed again, and the door opened. Mads took a deep breath and stepped inside. The room was crowded with different people doing different things. Some were packing, others were unpacking.

At the table in the center, was Sergei. He was sipping on some pure Russian Vodka. His eyes lit up as he spotted Mads and gestured for him to come over to the table. Despite all the work going on, no one talked to each other. It was actually uncomfortably quiet in there. Sergei pulled out another glass and poured a glass to Mads. They both nodded to each other, and then drowned it.

"Captain Romanov. I must admit, I was surprised to hear you wanted to meet, since you are back in the good graces of the Alliance again." Sergei remarked as he poured another glass. Mads sighed as he accepted another round.

"Being on good terms with the alliance doesn't mean they will begin to buy this expensive ammunition for me. I need a lot of new gear, and ammo for my current ones." Mads requested. Sergei leaned back in his chair as he drank the content of his glass.

"Well, as you can see, the chaos has even hit my operation. You were right Romanov, I didn't believe it, but you were. I will provide whatever tools you need to win this fight." Sergei replied.

"Good, I need all the help I can get." Mads added.

"What is your first move?" Sergei asked as he took out his data pad to sort through his inventory.

"I'm going to Palaven, see if I can save the Primach, if that is even possible." Mads said. "With him on our side, we might win favor with the Turians, and we need it." Mads remarked.

"Quite so. Nothing brings races together like the threat of extinction." Sergei chuckled as he snapped his fingers. One of his guards brought him a protective case, and put it on the ground. "I'm throwing extra ammo in the batch, so hopefully you won't run out soon. Now, for some new gear." He said as he rubbed his hands together and careful opened the case. He smiled as his eyes shined up at the sight of what was inside. He turned the case around to Mads.

Mads was quite satisfied with what was inside. A FN Fal, a fine weapon….. Well, he had never actually tried it out. But he had heard good things, it was a powerful rifle, capable of almost being a marksman rifle on its own. "Very nice." Mads remarked he took it into his hands. It was quite heavy, but it felt right. The guards brought over more cases.

"Since we are on the subject of DMRs, how about a M14?" Sergei asked.

"Yes please." Mads quickly replied as he put the FAL down in the case again.

He tried out the M14 too, and found it pleasing. "A Benelli M4 as well?" This day was turning out to be quite good.

"Where did you dig all these up?" Mads asked, he felt like a child in a candy store.

"I have my sources. Now, how about an LMG?" Sergei asked, and that was the frosting on the cake. Mads simply nodded with a wide smile. A RPK-74M was brought to him, with a drum magazine on it.

"Fuck yeah." Mads said he tested the bipod on it.

"I will be sure to give extra ammo for them all. Now, there is one last thing. I do believe this would serve well on your shuttle when you are going to and from battle." Sergei remarked, and gestured for the Guards to bring the final piece.

Two guards carried it to the table, and unclothed it. A fucking minigun, Mads was at a loss for words. Sergei had actually dug up a Minigun.

"How much?" was the only words to leave Mads' mouth.

"Consider this an investment that we will survive this war. I will try to supply the fighting forces as best I can. I will return to earth and help out there." Sergei replied.

"Are you sure?" Mads asked.

"Indeed. By the way, on a side note, this might be interesting for you." Sergei started saying as he poured another glass of Vodka.

"Hit me." Mads said.

"I have gotten a large order for guns from the Migrant Fleet. I think they may be preparing for war." Sergei said, not much louder than a whisper over the table.

"Everyone is preparing." Mads replied, a bit confused.

"I don't think it's for the reapers." Sergei added.

"So you are saying that-" It dawned on Mads. "-Shit, they are really going to fight the Geth?" He asked, but he already knew the answer. "Thanks for the information. Please bring all the guns and the ammunition to the Normandy as soon as possible. We leave tonight." Mads said. Sergei nodded.

"Godspeed Romanov, and good luck." Sergei said as he sat down in his chair once again. Mads shook his hand one last time and left with a nod.

* * *

 **17/3/2186**

 **Normandy, approaching Palaven's moon, Menae.**

Mads was making himself busy with double checking the scope of his new toy, the FN-FAL. James and Liara was beside him in the shuttle, which had just taken off from the Normandy was was rapidly approaching one of the moons of Palaven. Reports stated that there was heavy fighting here as well. The Turians had most likely been hit just as hard as the humans had, so getting the support of the Turian fleet would be a hard task.

"I thought the alliance had switched from gunpowder long ago." James remarked as he shifted on his feet.

"Rhodesians never die." Mads replied as he continued trying to get the right settings on the scope.

"What?" James asked confused.

"Nevermind, your Mexican ass wouldn't ass wouldn't understand anyhow." Mads said.

"Stupid fucking Russian." James muttered.

"Oh Goddess." Liara gasped, she was looking out of the window of the shuttle, and could see the flames from Palaven.

"Jesus fucking Christ." Mads said as he came to take a look as well.

"What's going on?" James asked a bit nervously.

"We have a friend on Palaven…" Liara answered.

"Oh..." James said.

"If anyone can survive that, it's Garrus. Maybe we will run in to him." Mads theorized.

"I would hope so." Liara said.

"Landing in E.T.A 2 minutes!" The pilot proclaimed. They all did one last check on their weapons to be sure they were functioning and in well shape. Mads took a deep breath as the shuttle came to a halt on the surface of the moon. The doors opened and revealed a new war zone. The reapers were truly going in hard on everyone, and it would only be a matter of time before they came for the rest of the council species. Question is: would they be willing to listen then? No one would be able to answer that, only time would tell.

There was already heavy fighting happened when they stepped off the shuttle. The moon had, once again, been turned into a war zone for the Turians. Last time it was the Krogans that had tried to invade, this time? It was something much worse. It was only a matter of locating the nearest command center to find the help they needed. But, that was easier said than done. The place was in the middle of a huge fight.

The Turians were putting up a good fight, but sometimes numbers do count, and if you have more bodies to throw than the enemy has bullets, it won't matter in the end. Still, Mads, Liara and James managed to clear the hordes that were throwing themselves at the gates of the command post. That seemed to earn them a pass through. They walked through the gate, and it was clear that this was getting close to a military disaster for the Turians. They were hanging on just as a thin thread as the humans. Even looking at their home world was damning, the flames were visible from their moon, and Mads let out a small prayer for Garrus.

"Captain Romanov. I heard chatter from above that you were paying us a visit, I must admit, I didn't think you would show up. General Corinthus at your service." Corinthus greeted, yet not taking his eyes of the planning table. He must have spent days looking at maps, planning the next attack.

"Nice to meet you General. But I must confess, I came here for a very specific Turian and I was hoping that could help me. You see, I'm looking for the primach, he is due for a war summit. So, if you could point me in the right -" Before Mads could continue, a Turian private came running up.

"Sir! They are swarming the comms tower! We can't get it back online!" The private informed, still out of breath.

"Damn!" Corinthus cursed. "Look Romanov. I would love to help you, but the primach is dead. His shuttle was shot down over an hour ago. There will be a successor, but with all the death going on, it's hard to keep track. The high command will know, but we won't hear shit until that tower is fixed. If you go get it back online, I can feed you a status update." Corinthus offered.

"It's the only deal on the table I guess. Consider it done." Mads replied as he took out his FAL. Corinthus nodded and yelled for the guards to let them out in to the fire once again. The gates opened, and once again the husk creatures stormed at them. Nothing they couldn't handle though. The FN Fal was pulling its weight and showing that it was indeed a good rifle.

"Fucking husks." Mads muttered as he kept his finger on the trigger. At least the fell easily, the husks were no match for the bullets this thing could spit out. At some point, there was a break in the husk offensive.

"Liara, see you can fix the damn thing. James and I will keep them from clawing at you." Mads ordered. Liara gave a quick nod, and went up the steps. Meanwhile, Mads and James moved to better cover.

* * *

Sometime later, they emerged victorious. They went back, and the Turians seemed quite pleased with having stable communications again. It was a small victory, but they would take whatever they could get their hands on.

"Got any news for me?" Mads asked as he went up the small ramp to the general.

"I checked in with central. It's a bit chaotic, and they are still trying to figure it out." Corinthus replied as he tried away at his terminal.

"Not to worry Romanov, I do expect we will get you what you want." A voice called out from behind the General. The voice was too familiar, but it couldn't be him… Could it?

"Garrus fucking Vakerian." Mads greeted as he pulled the Turian in to a hug.

"Remind me to ask you for some of that anti-aging cream you are using. It works like a charm." Garrus joked. It was good to see some things never change.

"Garrus, the only thing between you and a bullet in the back of your head is the alliance code of conduct." Mads threatened, although in a joking manner. "James, this is Garrus Vakerian. One of the key people who helped me take down the collectors." Mads introduced the two. They both shook hands.

"Liara, a pleasure as always." Garrus said as he saw Liara coming up beside them.

"It's nice to see you still breathing Garrus." She replied with a smile.

"I got it! General Adrien Victus is the next in line for the primach position." Corinthus informed them.

"Victus? I have heard the name before." Liara remarked.

"He is a tough son of a bitch, that's for sure. He is a good man, lifelong military, popular with troops. A bit like you Romanov actually." Garrus remarked.

"As long as he can get us what we need, I don't care if he is the queen of England. Anything interesting to share?" Mads asked.

"He gets the job done, but he isn't all that popular with military high command. Has his own idea of strategy. I could share a story, but I think time is pressing. I was with him this morning." Garrus recalled.

"He is the next in line, and I'd suggest getting to him before it is someone else's turn to try on the crown." Corinthus advised.

"Righto, let's get moving then, shall we?" Mads suggested as he gestured for them to go out first. They were about to set off in pursuit of their only hope. Then Joker broke the peace, informing them that the Normandy was acting up, and he was getting worried. Liara offered to go, and Mads sent her on her merry way. Though, something else came in the way before they could leave.

"Harvester!" A private called out.

"Fuck me..."


	60. Chapter 59: Palaven part 2

**A /N: Hey fellers. It is I, KanisRussell, bringing you some updates. So, It's been a while, eh? I got about a million excuses, but I'll narrow it down for you guys.**

 **First up: I have been rewriting the early chapters, so far I have rewritten about 15 chapters. They are ton of new dialogue in them. It might be beneficial for you guys to go back and take a look at them. With that being said, I want to thank ShadowFuse on Fanfiction for helping a brother out with rewriting the early chapters. If you guys don't know him, go search him up. He is indeed a talented author.**

 **As time is ticking, my year in Germany is slowly coming to a close. I had to devote most of last month to my final assignment and exam (Of which I passed!). So that's why it has been slow on that front. Other than that, I can't really promise that updates will be frequent, since I spend most of my time rewriting the early chapters to make them better.**

 **Anyhow, enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

 **Video tape nr 2. Label: Horrific find.**

 _ _The clip starts off with a view from the armored truck. It stands on the edge of a small village. The sun is unhindered by the clouds. A beautiful blue sky above the vast deserts of Syria.__ _ _Mads slowly stepped out of the truck as he took out his pack of cigarettes, but before he could even light it, a private ran up to him.__

 _" _Romanov SIR! You need to see this!" He was out of breath as he pointed to the other side of the village. Mads quickly took out his AK-12 from the seat of the truck. He sprinted with the private through the city and on to the other side. He caught up with Victor on the way, who was equally confused at the sudden rush.__

 _They saw the black smoke that reached up to the sky in the distance and they understood_ _instantly what the rush was about_ _._

 _" _Dear God, they are lighting the oil wells on fire!" Victor proclaimed in disbelief. Mads could hardly believe it himself as he saw the scene unfold before him.__

 _" _Mother of God..." Mads remarked as he walked a few steps further towards it.__

 _" _Why are they doing that, commander?" A private asked with a nervous voice.__

 _" _scorched earth warfare..." Mads replied as he still watched the scene with disbelief.__

 _" _What does that mean?" The private was clearly confused at why anyone who do something like that.__

 _" _T__ _ _hey__ _ _deny us the resources… They know they are done for."__ _ _Victor explained.__

 _ _Mads was about to add context, but was interrupted as sergeant Emil ran up to them. "Romanov, there is something that you have to see." He said. Mads noted the disgusted look on the sergeant's face. This whole war was getting more and more rotten as the days went by. But, Mads obliged and went with the sergeant. Most of the squad stayed and looked on the burning oil fields. Mads took the time to call it in on the radio to central command. Through, they seemed to already be aware of it.__

 _ _They came to what appeared to be the small gathering building for the village. It had seen some warfare. Emil gestured for both Mads and Victor to step inside. Mads took the lead as he equipped his AK and slowly pushed the door open.__

 _ _The smell hit him like a bus. He knew it too well. The smell of death. Some bodies were rotting somewhere inside. Mads slowly but surely made his way further into the building. Then, as he opened the door to the main hall, he saw the source. "Shit..." He said, almost a whisper.__

 _ _Before laid the pile of about half the village's population. Rotting together in their resting place.__ _ _Mads could hear Victor gag as he too saw the sight laid down before them. There must have been around 200-300 bodies there. Mads slowly stepped forward as he tried to uncover what had happened here. They were well on their way to decomposing. They had been like this for at least a week or two. The burning heat had made the progress faster.__

 _"_ _ _They have been s__ _ _hot." Mads remarked as he found several bullet holes in each body. They had lined them up against the wall and just started shooting. A bloody massacre. What really hit Mads was the sight of a women who had died with her infant child in her hands. They were up against the wall, she had clutched the small child tightly to her chest in a fruitless attempt to save it.__

 _ _Mads had to excuse himself as he went outside. He sat down on the pavement outside the building. He thought about what he had just seen in there. The horrors of war in all it's glory. As he smoked a cigarette, he wondered what drove humans to do things like this. Those civilians had been of no threat to the terrorists.__

 _"_ _ _Mama bear, this is eagle scout. Please copy. Over." Mads requested over the radio. He waited a few seconds before central came back.__

 _" _This is mama bear. What's the situation? Over." Central asked back. Mads held his finger over the button for a few more seconds before replying.__

 _"_ _ _We just found 200-300__ _ _S__ _ _yrians killed within a town hall. Please advise. Over." Mads then answered with a heavy heart.__

 _" _Understood eagle scout. Please await Syrian government forces to arrive in about 2-3 hours, then hand over the situation to them. Until then, keep the situation under control. Over." Central commanded.__

 _" _Understood mama bear. Over and out." Mads said as he put his radio back on his belt. He took another drag of his cigarette as he looked out over the empty street of the small village.__

 _"_ _ _You okay?" A voice asked from behind him. Mads knew the voice, Victor.__

 _" _You know… There is a famous quote from Stalin: 'a single death is a tragedy a million deaths is a statistic'. Those people will be forgotten to time, no one is going to weep a single tear..." Mads remarked.__

 _" _I know what you are saying. But isn't that why we are here? To stop this senseless killing?" Victor asked.__

 _" _I don't know… Are we? Or are we just adding to the list?" Mads asked back.__

 **End of tape.**

* * *

Mads smacked the magazine into his FN FAL, trying to keep the pressure up on the harvester. The Harvester was a tough enemy, but not unbeatable. Though, as they fired upon it, it was clear that the Harvester was not interesting in engaging them. It dropped something right outside the camp's walls. Mads yelled out to Garrus and James that they had to check it out.

"How have the Turians been holding up?" Mads asked as they passed by the gate.

"As you can see, we haven't fallen yet." Garrus replied as he readied his rifle.

"That's at least something. The Turians have the largest military in the galaxy. If that can't keep up… We are totally fucked." Mads remarked as they began to go over a hill in the pursuit of the reaper ground troops.

"I don't know how long we can keep going." Garrus didn't have the usual witty voice. He was afraid, like most people know a days. Even Mads couldn't proclaim immunity from it. Mads was about to give Garrus some sort of encouragement when he spotted the troops they would be dealing with.

"Is that… A Turian?" Mads asked confused.

"Holy shit…" James added. "That's fucking rough..." It was clear that this was taking a toll on both Garrus and James. Mads realized that no species was safe from this. The humans had been the first, and he had seen Batarian husks on earth, and now there was the Turian equal…

"This is how the reapers fight. Turn our own kind against us, a true demoralizer." Garrus replied.

"Well, we can only offer the poor soulseternal peace..." Mads informed. Garrus nodded, as a Turian he knew what it meant. You can't save everyone, no matter how hard you try. At least the Turians knew which way the wind was blowing.

Still, they were in for a firefight. The reapers were there in force, trying to kick the fight out of everyone. It made Mads sick when he thought about their harvest, what they would do. He vowed to himself that he would do everything in his power to stop them, even if it meant doing the ultimate sacrifice.

The Turian husks were a lot tougher than their human counterpart. They had better weapons than the Batarian husks as well, which made them a nightmare to deal with. Mads lined up each of his shots, making sure he conserved ammunition. There was no telling what could be around the next corner. Garrus fought hard as well, seeing Palaven in flames had be motivational for him. A reason to fight, a reason to try.

The brutes were no better, a big powerful being that tried to charge them every chance it got. The reapers had an endless amount of soldiers. And when they needed more, they just picked them right from the Turian ranks. Adrenaline rushed through Mads' veins as he flanked a position of some husks, killing them all with a shot in the back of the head.

As the fighting died down, Mads took deep breaths. The air was indeed thinner on this moon. James was having the same problem. Garrus was holding up fine though. Though the down time was minimal, since the reapers took no breaks.

"They are attacking on the north side!" A private yelled out to them. Mads, Garrus and James sprinted for all their life to get there before they could breach the compound. The Turians were taking heavy fire from Reaper forces when they got there. A private was even blown away as he was manning the turret.

"Garrus! Give me supporting fire! I'm going for the turret!" Mads ordered as he climbed up the ladder and quickly manned the gun. What followed was close to 10 minutes of non stop firing. Almost ear deafening. The only pause was when Mads had to reload, or let the gun cool down, but even then he resorted to using his FAL to keep the husks at bay.

"Ha! It's like shooting fish in a barrel!" James cheerfully remarked as he kept up his line of fire.

"What?" Garrus asked, clearly confused at the meaning of the statement.

"It's a human expression! It means that a task is really easy!" James replied continuing keeping the husks at bay.

The husks kept coming, and the trio kept shooting as long as they had bullets. It was going pretty well until a brute decided to charge into the wall. The force of the charge was enough to knock Mads down on the ground.

As Mads struggled to get up, he realized that he was in deep shit. The husks were circling him like hungry predators, ready to kill. Mads went to grab his FAL, only to realize that it wasn't on his back, it was still up by the turret.

Mads moved to pull his Glock out of his holster. He had to conserve ammo. The Glock was only meant as a back up pistol. Each shot had to be precise and lethal. Garrus and James tried to assist as much as they could from their position on the wall, but they had to be careful. Mads was in the very heart of the horde.

Like so many times before, his instincts took direct control of the situation. No longer was he a mere man, but a beast. The most dangerous animal that had been backed into a corner. Time slowed down, as Mads began fighting back. The desire to live was what made him so deadly here. His desire to see Tali again. He wasn't going to die on one of the moons of Palaven.

Mads made a mental note to thank Sergei the next time he saw him. The Glock performed as it should, the higher caliber of ammunition made the fight relatively fair. The husks fell like flies, one by one with a bullet in their head.

But then his sidearm gave the haunting clicking noise. No more bullets. He only had the last 6 rounds in his chamber for the magnum. So Mads did the only thing he could think of: He pulled out his knife. His instincts were still there, alongside the adrenaline which rushed through his blood. He managed to dodge the husks who were throwing themselves at him. Mads had wished it was as easy as cutting their throat, but these creatures required a stab in the skull. Then it was lights out.

As the number of Husks fighting him began to slowly lower, Mads could breathe easier. That was until he let his guard down for a second, and one of the managed to tackle him to the ground. It tried to bite into his throat, but Mads managed to get one of his hands free and stab the monster right up the chin. As Mads pushed the lifeless corpse of what used to be a human off him, he turned attention to the last husk there.

Blood boiled as Mads felt this shit was already too played out. So he charged the remaining husk, and forced it to the ground. Then, as the Husk laid there, trying to get up. Mads placed his boot on it's chest and grabbed a hold of it's arm. Then, he began pulling as hard as his muscles would give. First a crack was heard. Then, slowly but surely, the skin around the arm of the husk began to yield to the extreme force. It ruptured and began oozing out blood. With a final pull, the husk's arm came off. Mads then used said arm to beat the ever living crap out of the poor husk.

As Mads finally was satisfied with the state of the husk, he made eye contact with the brute that had been absent from most of the fight. It had been too busy trying to force it's way into the compound to worry about the small threat behind it. Mads wasn't sure if these things had any emotion at all, but when he looked into it's eyes, he could swear he saw the faintest trace of fear in it.

"It's just you and me son..." Mads readied himself with his knife. Whatever fear that was in the brute, must have been overruled by the reaper programming, because now it was roaring at him, like a beast trying to show dominance. "Let's see what you got." Mads provoked. The brute took the bait and instantly charged towards him, the only thing it really knew how to do. He lined it up perfectly, in the last second before impact, Mads managed to roll to his side. The brute crashed into the wall and looked visibly confused as it regained it's bearings. Mads took this opportunity to climb up on it's back. It was similar to what he did with the giant Mech back on Freedom's progress. Though, this brute was much more flexible than the Mech.

Mads then began to use his knife to saw into the brute's exposed throat. It was only a small distance, the neck was nothing to speak highly off. With some force, he managed to cut his through all the nerves and veins, not to mention the skin and bone. Then, with a final cut, the head was liberated from it's body. The giant body fell down, lifeless. Mads then kicked the head with as much force as he possibly could.

"Are you fighting or are you playing soccer?" James asked jokingly as he opened the gate for Mads to come back in.

"Fucker deserved it. You think I'd make a good soccer player, Vega?" Mads wittily replied as he came back into the base.

"I think you kicked that Brute's head all the way to Palaven." James remarked as he watched up at the planet. Only his joyful expression vanished as he saw the burning planet again. Mads put his hand on James' shoulder.

"We'll get through this." He reassured the marine. James seemed to find some comfort in those words. Mads wasn't sure if he really believed it himself, but he had to make sure his crew believed it.

Mads then turned around to Garrus, who gave Mads his FAL back. Mads strapped it to his back. "Any news on Victus?" Mads asked as he accepted the water canteen from Garrus and greedily drank from it.

"We aren't sure where he is, but I think he is southbound. I fought with him this morning." Garrus replied as he readied his rifle. Mads noticed the Deagle still sitting in Garrus' holster and Mads made a chuckle sound as he realized Garrus had hung on to it.

"Alright, I guess that's as good a lead as any." Mads remarked as he straightened out and drank the rest of the water before handing the canteen back. "You ready?" Mads asked as he looked at both Garrus and James. They both nodded. "Alright, lead me to him." Mads ordered and Garrus happily obliged with the order.

And so, they left the camp. Mads could only hope that the Turians here could keep up the fight. They were some of the toughest son of bitches this galaxy had to offer, only rivaled by the Krogan. Seeing this mayhem only reinforced Mads' belief that they needed to stand together to win this.

"Is your family still alive?" Mads asked as they walked along the rocky surface of the moon. Garrus was quiet for a minute.

"I don't know… They are back on Palaven." Garrus fell silent once more as he looked up at the sight of his burning home world. "You see that big orange spot there?" He asked as he pointed. Mads nodded in response. "That's where I grew up..."

"Are you worried about your father and sister?" Mads asked. He remembered back to their many conversations together. How Garrus often talked about his family.

"Yeah… I am. Sometimes I wish I had been dealt a hand like you, Romanov. You don't have that kind of worry." Garrus remarked.

"You don't want that Garrus." Mads said with a firm tone, enough to make Garrus stop up and look over at Mads. "You don't want my rotten fucking luck." Mads reassured Garrus. Garrus seemed to get the message as they moved forward.

"What's the situation on Palaven?" James broke the silence and asked.

"5 million lost the first day, 2 million the second. The reapers are pushing us back slowly." Garrus replied.

"Jesus fucking Christ…" James remarked. '

"It's the same story all of the place. What about Earth?" Garrus asked back.

"Earth is in a bad way. We got it at least as bad as you guys have it." Mads replied with sadness engulfing his heart. When he thought of his home in flames, he felt the situation was hopeless.

Just as Garrus was about to reply, a Turian fighter crashed down mere meters away from them. They all jumped back in surprise. "Holy shit!" James yelped.

"That was a bit too close for my liking." Garrus replied, his comedy was slowly finding it's way back.

"Yeah, let's not die to a fighter crashing down on us." Mads said.

"So, what do you hope to do with Victus?" Garrus asked as they moved forward.

"I hope to get him to join the war summit. I need the Turian fleet for earth." Mads answered as they vaulted over some debris.

"I don't think he will go willingly. I mean, I doubt you guys wanted to leave earth." Garrus theorized.

"Yeah… You're right. It was tough leaving earth… But we don't stand a chance if we fight our own war. We need to stand together." Mads said.

"I agree, but it won't be easy to leave..." Garrus commented.

Mads jogged up to Garrus and asked him in a low voice. "By the way… Have you heard anything from Tali?" Mads asked.

"No, we stayed in contact for a month or so after you were arrested… But she stopped replying to my messages. I don't know if she is safe or not." Garrus replied.

"I heard a rumor the Quarians were gearing up for war with the Geth." Mads said

"Really? What a fucking time to take back your planet." Garrus said in disbelief.

"I really hope she is okay." Mads said, mostly to himself.

"You're talking about Tali. She knows how to handle herself." Garrus quickly reminded Mads.

"Yeah, I know. But… But I feel lost without her… I don't know how to describe it." Mads said. Before Garrus could answer, they ran into some Turians who needed help. The trio quickly took care of the husks thatthreatened the Turian privates. They asked if the Turians had seen Victus, and they replied that they had seen him 30 minutes ago, still southbound.

It wasn't long before they came to another military camp. This one was also under attack from reaper forces. It seemed to be the same story all around the Turian moon, constant attacks. No time to catch your breath. Mads simply readied his FAL, he would fight to the bitter end if he had to. Garrus and James were equally ready for what laid ahead of them.

A harvester was dropping fresh forces straight from hell. The Turians were being pushed out of their own camp. If the trio did give their helping hand now, the Turians would been dealt a massive blow. That's why Mads unbuckled one of the grenades he picked up at the last camp from his belt. He threw one at the brute currently approached a croup of frightened Turians. The blast wasn't enough to kill it, but it was enough for it to ditch it's original target and focus on Mads instead.

Mads managed to lure it away, far enough for him to be comfortable with unloading a few rounds of his FAL magazine into it's head. The bullets were strong enough to punch through it's armor and shatter it's skull. It fell to the ground, but before it landed, Mads had already began to focus on the harvester. Mads called out to Garrus to land some critical hits on the harvester as he drew it's attention. Mads was instantly reminded of the good teamwork they two had.

Garrus performed wonderfully with his sniper rifle. He managed to bring the harvester to it's knees with suppressing fire from Mads, who manged to keep it's attention on him. The creature blew itself up as he died, probably in an attempt to take out anyone near it. The Turians had probably a few minutes to catch their breath before the next attack would be on them.

"I think I see Victus!" Garrus yelled from his vantage point. James came back from the other wall, where Husks had been pilling up. Garrus jumped down to lead them to where he saw the general. Mads was about ready to get off this moon and get on with the wider war.

Victus was busy issuing orders to his troops. There was no such thing as down time in this war. It a was constant endless battle. "Get to work!" Victus ordered, and the soldiers did as said.

"General Victus?" Mads asked as he came up behind him.

"Yes? Who are you?" Victus asked confused. He hadn't heard anything about human operators on the moon.

"Captain Mads Romanov, alliance navy. I know this is bad timing, but you are needed off world." Mads replied. Victus looked at Mads confused again.

"You better have a good compelling argument for forcing my away from my brother and sisters here." Victus said.

"Primach Fedorian is dead, you're the new Primach. I need you for a summit off world between our races. If we are gonna have any chance against the reapers, I need the bloody Turian fleet." Mads explained. Victus was silent for a long minute as he turned his eyes from Mads and onto the battlefield before them.

"I'm the new Primach? Negotiating for the Turian Hierachy?" Victus seemed a bit in shock. From what Mads understood, the high command had always blocked Victus at every point due to his way of fighting. Now, he was probably the most powerful Turian out there. Victus sighed as he looked back at Mads, Garrus and James.

"Let me say goodbye to my men." Victus requested. Mads gestured for him to go ahead. Mads turned his attention to Garrus and James as Victus went to talk with his men.

"You think he will help us out?" James asked concerned.

"I don't know, but we'll find out. The situation is desperate here as well." Mads answered.

Just as Garrus was about to speak, Victus walked back to them. They all looked over at the new Primach.

"Romanov, I understand your request for our fleet, but you must understand that we can't spare them. Now while Palaven looks like-" Victus pointed to the burning planet in the sky. "-That." Mads felt his heart drop. Now he was fucked. "However, if the pressure could be taken off from the Turian forces, I could redeploy the fleet." Victus suggested.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Mads asked tired as he rubbed his temples.

"We need the Krogan, Captain. Without them, the Turians are dead meat." Victus replied.

"Oh, you want the Krogan? Do you want me to summon archangel Michael while I'm at it?" Mads asked sarcastically.

"You give me the Krogan, I will help out as much as I can with the human fight." Victus promised. Mads let out a huge sigh.

"This is going to be difficult… Look, if you come with us now, I'll try and get Wrex on to the summit. We can discuss it further there." Mads said. Mads doubted his relationship with Wrex was good enough for him to pull it through, but he needed to pull every string he could.

Victus agreed to that plan. Now it all depended on the Krogan. And if Mads had to make a qualified guess, the Krogan would make some pretty big demands, like curing the Genophage.

"Normandy, we are ready for evac. Prep the shuttle." Mads ordered into his ear piece.

"Affirmative Captain." Joker replied.

Mads then holstered his weapon as he and the other's awaited the shuttle.


End file.
